Flora of North America species comparison

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Acalypha poiretii

Acalypha neomexicana

Poiret's copperleaf

New Mexico copperleaf
Habit Herbs, annual, 1–4 dm, monoecious. Herbs, annual, 1–3.5 dm, monoecious.
Stems

erect, pubescent and sparsely hirsute.

erect, pubescent.
Leaves

petiole 1–4.5 cm;

blade ovate to elliptic, 2–5 × 1–3.5 cm, base obtuse to rounded, margins serrate-crenate, apex acute.

petiole 1–4 cm;

blade ovate-lanceolate, 2–5 × 0.7–2.7 cm, base rounded (sometimes asymmetric), margins crenate to serrate, apex acute.
Inflorescences

bisexual, axillary;

peduncle 0.1–0.5 cm, pistillate portion 2–4 × 0.8–1.2 cm (shorter on proximal inflorescences), staminate portion 0.3–1 cm;

allomorphic pistillate flowers common, terminal on staminate portion of inflorescences.

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

staminate peduncle 0.1–0.3 cm, fertile portion 0.1–0.6 cm;

pistillate peduncle 0.1–0.2 cm, fertile portion 2–5(–7) × 1.5–2.5 cm;

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

of allomorphic flowers rudimentary.

of allomorphic flowers rudimentary.
Pistillate flowers

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

styles unbranched.

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

styles multifid or laciniate.
Capsules

smooth, pubescent;

allomorphic fruits obovoid, 1.2–1.5 × 1–1.2 mm, muricate, pubescent.

smooth, pubescent;

allomorphic fruits obovoid, longitudinally 2-ridged near apex, 1.4–1.6 × 1–1.2 mm, muricate, pubescent.
Seeds

1.2–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.

1.2–1.5 mm, coarsely pitted.
Pistillate

bracts (normal flowers) crowded (inflorescence axis not visible between bracts), 4–5 × 6–8 mm, abaxial surface pubescent and sparsely stipitate-glandular;

lobes 7–9, triangular, 1/5 bract length; of allomorphic flowers absent.

bracts (normal and allomorphic flowers) crowded (inflorescence axis not or sparingly visible between bracts), 12–15 × 7–10 mm, abaxial surface pubescent and stipitate-glandular;

lobes (5–)9–13(–17), deltate to triangular, 1/8–1/4 bract length, except terminal lobe to 1/3 bract length.

Acalypha poiretii

Acalypha neomexicana
Phenology Flowering and fruiting late summer–fall. Flowering and fruiting late summer–fall.
Habitat Disturbed areas. Moist or shaded areas, oak or pine woodlands, desert grasslands.
Elevation 10–100 m. (0–300 ft.) 600–2500 m. (2000–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; c Mexico; e Mexico; Central America (Guatemala) [Introduced West Indies, South America, Africa]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico; c Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Acalypha poiretii is known in the flora area from the lower Rio Grande valley (Cameron, Hidalgo, and Starr counties). It was collected in the late nineteenth century on ballast dumps in Alabama, Florida, and New Jersey, but has not been reported again from any of these states.

Some authors (for example, R. Govaerts et al. 2000) have treated Acalypha poiretii and A. alnifolia Poiret as synonyms, in which case the latter would be the correct name for this species; however, the types of the two names clearly belong to different species.

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

Acalypha neomexicana is known in Texas only from the trans-Pecos region.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 169. FNA vol. 12, p. 169.
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. monostachya, A. neomexicana, A. ostryifolia, A. phleoides, 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. ostryifolia, A. phleoides, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
Synonyms A. macrostachyos
Name authority Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 879. (1826) — (as poireti) Müller Arg.: Linnaea 34: 19. (1865)
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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