Flora of North America species comparison

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Acalypha monostachya

Acalypha alopecuroidea

round copperleaf

foxtail copperleaf
Habit Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, 1.5–4 dm, monoecious or dioecious (staminate plants rare). Herbs, annual, 2–6 dm, monoecious.
Stems

prostrate to ascending, short-pubescent and hirsute.

erect, short-pubescent and stipitate-glandular.
Leaves

petiole 0.5–2.5 cm;

blade orbiculate or reniform, 0.7–2.5 × 0.8–2.5 cm, base cordate or rounded, margins shallowly crenate, apex rounded.

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

unisexual or bisexual, terminal (staminate, pistillate, and bisexual) and axillary (pistillate);

staminate peduncle 0.8–3 cm, fertile portion 1–4 cm;

pistillate peduncle 0.4–1.5 cm, fertile portion 1–2 × 0.8–1.2 cm;

bisexual similar to staminate, with 1–3 pistillate bracts near base;

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

1.5–1.8 mm, minutely pitted.

1–1.1 mm, minutely pitted.
Pistillate

bracts crowded (inflorescence axis not visible between bracts), 6–8.5 × 8–12 mm, abaxial surface hirsute, sessile- and stipitate-glandular;

lobes (8–)10–12(–14), rounded, 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 monostachya

Acalypha alopecuroidea
Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–fall. Flowering and fruiting late summer–fall.
Habitat Dry, open, rocky, gravelly, or sandy areas. Disturbed areas.
Elevation 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) 0–40 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; LA; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; n South America [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Acalypha hederacea, the name most frequently used for these plants in the United States, and A. monostachya, commonly used for Mexican plants, were thought to differ in sexuality and staminate inflorescence length, but plants throughout Mexico and Texas show no consistent differences among populations and should be treated as a single species (G. A. Levin 1999b).

In the flora area, Acalypha monostachya is widespread in central and southern Texas.

(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. 166. FNA vol. 12, p. 167.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha
Sibling taxa
A. alopecuroidea, A. arvensis, A. australis, A. californica, A. chamaedrifolia, A. deamii, A. gracilens, A. monococca, A. neomexicana, A. ostryifolia, A. phleoides, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
A. arvensis, A. australis, A. californica, A. chamaedrifolia, A. deamii, A. gracilens, A. monococca, A. monostachya, A. neomexicana, A. ostryifolia, A. phleoides, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
Synonyms A. hederacea
Name authority Cavanilles: Anales Hist. Nat. 2: 138, plate 21, fig. 3. (1800) Jacquin: Collectanea 3: 196. (1791)
Web links 
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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