Flora of North America species comparison

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Acalypha setosa

Acalypha gracilens

Cuban copperleaf

slender copperleaf, slender three-seed-Mercury
Habit Herbs, annual, 3–5 dm, monoecious. Herbs, annual, 1–6 dm, monoecious.
Stems

erect, sparsely pubescent.

erect, pubescent.
Leaves

petiole 1–7 cm;

blade ovate, 2.5–10 × 1.5–8 cm, base broadly obtuse to rounded or truncate, margins serrate, apex acuminate.

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.
Inflorescences

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

staminate peduncle 0.5–0.7 cm, fertile portion 0.5–1.5 cm;

pistillate peduncle 0.1–0.5 cm, fertile portion 3–12 × 0.7–1 cm;

allomorphic pistillate flowers common, near apices of pistillate inflorescences and mixed with flowers in staminate 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.
Pedicels

of allomorphic flowers rudimentary.

Pistillate flowers

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

styles multifid or laciniate.

pistil 3-carpellate;

styles multifid or laciniate.
Capsules

smooth, sparsely pubescent;

allomorphic fruits oblate ellipsoidal, longitudinally ridged, an irregular flange on each side, 1.4–1.7 × 1.5–2 mm, smooth, puberulent.

smooth, pubescent.
Seeds

1.2–1.4 mm, minutely pitted.

1.1–1.9 mm, minutely pitted.
Pistillate

bracts (normal flowers) loosely arranged (inflorescence axis visible between bracts), 5–7 × 3–4 mm, abaxial surface glabrous;

lobes 7–9(–13), linear, nearly bract length, muricate; of allomorphic flowers on pistillate inflorescences like those of normal flowers, on staminate inflorescences absent.

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.

Acalypha setosa

Acalypha gracilens
Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. Flowering and fruiting mostly summer–fall.
Habitat Disturbed areas. Pine and pine-oak woods, dry hardwood forests, glades, prairies, disturbed areas, usually on sand or shallow rocky soils.
Elevation 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.) 0–1100 m. (0–3600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; c Mexico; s Mexico; Central America; West Indies; n South America [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Acalypha setosa, indigenous from Mexico to northern South America and the West Indies, was first introduced to the United States in the late 1800s and now occurs sporadically through the southeastern states.

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

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.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 168. FNA vol. 12, p. 171.
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. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
A. alopecuroidea, A. arvensis, A. australis, A. californica, A. chamaedrifolia, A. deamii, A. monococca, A. monostachya, A. neomexicana, A. ostryifolia, A. phleoides, A. poiretii, A. radians, A. rhomboidea, A. setosa, A. virginica, A. wilkesiana
Synonyms A. gracilens var. delzii, A. gracilens var. fraseri
Name authority A. Richard: in R. Sagra, Hist. Fis. Cuba 11: 204. (1850) A. Gray: Manual, 408. (1848)
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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