Flora of North America species comparison

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Acalypha monococca

Acalypha phleoides

oneseed Mercury, slender threeseed Mercury

shrubby copperleaf
Habit Herbs, annual, 1–4 dm, monoecious. Herbs, perennial, 2–5 dm, monoecious.
Stems

erect, pubescent.

erect, short-pubescent and hirsute.
Leaves

petiole 0.2–1(–1.2) cm;

blade linear-lanceolate to linear, 1.7–6(–7) × 0.3–1.2 cm, base cuneate, margins usually subentire, sometimes shallowly serrate, apex acute.

petiole 0.2–1 cm;

blade rhombic-ovate to ovate, or proximal suborbiculate, 2–6 × 1–3 cm, base acute to rounded, margins serrate to crenate-serrate, apex acute to acuminate.
Inflorescences

bisexual, axillary;

peduncle 0.1–0.6 cm, pistillate portion 0.6–1.2 × 0.8–1.5 cm or pistillate bract solitary, staminate portion 0.1–2.5 cm;

allomorphic pistillate flowers absent.

bisexual, terminal;

peduncle 0.3–0.5(–1) cm, pistillate portion 4–7 × 1.6–2 cm, staminate portion 0.5–3.5 cm;

allomorphic pistillate flowers rarely present, replacing all or part of staminate portion of inflorescence.
Pedicels

of allomorphic flowers 3–5 mm.
Pistillate flowers

pistil 1-carpellate;

styles multifid or laciniate.

pistil 3-carpellate (normal flowers), 2-carpellate (allomorphic flowers);

styles multifid or laciniate.
Capsules

smooth, pubescent.

muricate, pubescent;

allomorphic fruits obovoid, 2 × 1.5 mm, muricate, pubescent.
Seeds

1.6–2.4 mm, shallowly pitted.

1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted.
Pistillate

bracts loosely arranged to crowded (inflorescence axis clearly to scarcely visible between bracts) or solitary, 8–13 × 11–16 mm, abaxial surface sparsely to densely pubescent, red sessile-glandular, and rarely stipitate-glandular;

lobes (7–)9–13(–17), deltate, 1/10–1/4 bract length.

bracts (normal flowers) loosely arranged (inflorescence axis visible between bracts), 8–12 × 7–11 mm, abaxial surface sparsely pubescent and stipitate-glandular;

lobes (3–)5–7(–8), triangular to attenuate, 1/5–1/3 bract length or terminal lobe longer; of allomorphic flowers absent.
2n

= 40 (Mexico).

Acalypha monococca

Acalypha phleoides
Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. Flowering and fruiting spring–fall.
Habitat Pine and oak woods, prairies, barrens, on sandy or shallow rocky soils. Rocky areas, grasslands, oak, pine, or juniper woodlands.
Elevation 80–600 m. (300–2000 ft.) 100–2600 m. (300–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; IL; KS; KY; LA; MO; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico; Central America (Guatemala)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Even when fruits have dehisced, Acalypha monococca is easily distinguished from A. gracilens and all other species in the genus by its curved, needlelike columellae.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Plants from the United States have nearly always been called Acalypha lindheimeri, distinguished from A. phleoides on the basis of leaf shape and bract lobing. Although plants from Texas generally can be distinguished from plants from central Mexico southward, plants from intervening regions in the United States and Mexico include a full range of intermediates (G. A. Levin 1999b).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 171. FNA vol. 12, p. 165.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha
Sibling taxa
A. alopecuroidea, A. arvensis, A. australis, A. californica, A. chamaedrifolia, A. deamii, A. gracilens, A. monostachya, A. neomexicana, A. ostryifolia, A. phleoides, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
A. alopecuroidea, A. arvensis, A. australis, A. californica, A. chamaedrifolia, A. deamii, A. gracilens, A. monococca, A. monostachya, A. neomexicana, A. ostryifolia, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
Synonyms A. gracilens var. monococca, A. gracilens subsp. monococca A. lindheimeri, A. lindheimeri var. major
Name authority (Engelmann ex A. Gray) Lillian W. Miller & Gandhi: Sida 13: 123. (1988) Cavanilles: Anales Hist. Nat. 2: 139. (1800)
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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