Acalypha gracilens |
Acalypha alopecuroidea |
|
---|---|---|
slender copperleaf, slender three-seed-Mercury |
foxtail copperleaf |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual, 1–6 dm, monoecious. | Herbs, annual, 2–6 dm, monoecious. |
Stems | erect, pubescent. |
erect, short-pubescent and stipitate-glandular. |
Leaves | petiole 0.2–1.2(–1.8) cm; blade oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 1.7–6 × 0.4–2 cm, base cuneate, margins serrate to crenate to subentire, apex obtuse to acute. |
petiole 0.5–7 cm, stipitate-glandular; blade ovate to broadly ovate, 2–8 × 1.5–5 cm, base rounded or subcordate, margins serrate, apex acuminate. |
Inflorescences | bisexual, axillary; peduncle 0.1–0.6 cm, pistillate portion 0.7–1.3 × 0.8–1.5 cm or pistillate bract solitary, staminate portion 0.2–2.6 cm; allomorphic pistillate flowers absent. |
unisexual, axillary (staminate) and terminal (pistillate); staminate peduncle 0.1–0.6 cm, stipitate-glandular, fertile portion 0.2–0.8 cm; pistillate peduncle 0.2–1 cm, stipitate-glandular, fertile portion 2–6 × 0.8–1.5 cm; allomorphic pistillate flowers common, terminal on pistillate or, rarely, staminate inflorescences. |
Pedicels | of allomorphic flowers 5–15 mm. |
|
Pistillate flowers | pistil 3-carpellate; styles multifid or laciniate. |
pistil 3-carpellate (normal flowers), 1(–2)-carpellate (allomorphic flowers); styles unbranched or rarely 2-fid. |
Capsules | smooth, pubescent. |
smooth, pubescent and stipitate-glandular or glabrate; allomorphic fruits obovoid, 1–1.5 × 0.9–1.2 mm, muricate, hirsute. |
Seeds | 1.1–1.9 mm, minutely pitted. |
1–1.1 mm, minutely pitted. |
Pistillate | bracts loosely arranged to crowded (inflorescence axis clearly to scarcely visible between bracts) or solitary, 8–14 × 11–17 mm, abaxial surface sparsely pubescent, red sessile-glandular, and sometimes stipitate-glandular; lobes (7–)9–13(–15), deltate, 1/10–1/4 bract length. |
bracts (normal flowers) crowded (inflorescence axis not visible between bracts), 8–12 × 3–4 mm, abaxial surface long-hirsute (hairs to 2 mm) and stipitate-glandular; lobes 3–5, proximally deltate with linear tips, 3/4 bract length, smooth; of allomorphic flowers absent. |
Acalypha gracilens |
Acalypha alopecuroidea |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting mostly summer–fall. | Flowering and fruiting late summer–fall. |
Habitat | Pine and pine-oak woods, dry hardwood forests, glades, prairies, disturbed areas, usually on sand or shallow rocky soils. | Disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–1100 m. (0–3600 ft.) | 0–40 m. (0–100 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV
|
AL; FL; LA; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; n South America [Introduced in North America] |
Discussion | Acalypha gracilens varies considerably throughout its range; some of the extremes have been named. The variation shows no discrete breaks and no infraspecific taxa warrant recognition (G. A. Levin 1999). Populations in central Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa have been alleged to be introduced, but they show slight morphological differences from other populations and appear to be native. Acalypha gracilens is introduced in Wisconsin. See 16. A. virginica for a discussion of the differences between A. gracilens and that species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Acalypha alopecuroidea has been established in the United States since at least the 1950s. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 171. | FNA vol. 12, p. 167. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha | Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | A. gracilens var. delzii, A. gracilens var. fraseri | |
Name authority | A. Gray: Manual, 408. (1848) | Jacquin: Collectanea 3: 196. (1791) |
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