Flora of North America species comparison

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Acalypha ostryifolia

hophornbeam copperleaf, pineland threeseed Mercury
Habit Herbs, annual, 3.5–7 dm, monoecious.
Stems

erect, pubescent, sparsely hirsute, and stipitate-glandular.
Leaves

petiole 1.5–6.5 cm;

blade ovate, 3–8 × 1.5–5 cm, base cordate, margins serrate, apex acute to short acuminate.
Inflorescences

unisexual, axillary (staminate) and terminal (pistillate; sometimes on short lateral branches, appearing axillary);

staminate peduncle 0.5–1.5 cm, fertile portion 0.5–3.5 cm;

pistillate peduncle 0.1–1 cm, fertile portion 3–7 × 0.7–1 cm;

allomorphic pistillate flowers common, near apices of pistillate inflorescences.
Pedicels

of allomorphic flowers rudimentary.
Pistillate flowers

pistil 3-carpellate (normal flowers), 1(–3)-carpellate (allomorphic flowers);

styles multifid or laciniate.
Capsules

spiny, pubescent;

allomorphic fruits obovoid, 2 irregular flanges near apex, 2–2.2 × 1.6–1.8 mm, smooth, pubescent.
Seeds

1.6–2 mm, tuberculate.
Pistillate

bracts (normal and allomorphic flowers) loosely arranged (inflorescence axis visible between bracts), 3–6 × 6–8 mm, abaxial surface pubescent (hairs to 0.3 mm) and sparsely stipitate-glandular;

lobes (9–)13–17, linear, 2/3 bract length, muricate.

Acalypha ostryifolia
Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Stream banks, edges of woods, disturbed areas, agricultural fields.
Elevation 0–1700 m. (0–5600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; NE; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; Mexico; West Indies [Introduced to Central America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

J. Torrey [in W. H. Emory 1857–1859, vol. 2(1)] reported Acalypha ostryifolia (as A. caroliniana Elliott) from New Mexico on the basis of Bigelow s.n., collected near "the Copper Mines" in Grant County. Although no specimen has been located by the author and this is the only report of this species from New Mexico, it is to be expected in the southwestern part of the state. It was collected in the late nineteenth century in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but has not been collected there since.

Acalypha ostryifolia may not be native to the northern part of its range. Specimen collection dates suggest that the species is spreading northward, and in much of its range it is found primarily in areas with human disturbance.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 167.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Acalypha
Sibling taxa
A. alopecuroidea, A. arvensis, A. australis, A. californica, A. chamaedrifolia, A. deamii, A. gracilens, A. monococca, A. monostachya, A. neomexicana, A. phleoides, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
Name authority Riddell ex J. M. Coulter: Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 5: 213. (1894) — (as ostryaefolia)
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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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