Achyranthes japonica
Achyranthes aspera
Japanese chaff-flower, oriental chaff flower
devil's horsewhip
0.75–1.5 m, glabrous or slightly pubescent.
0.4–2 m, pilose or puberulent.
blades ovate-elliptic, 2.5–13.5 × 0.2–6.8 cm, base tapering, apex acute to acuminate, pubescent on veins abaxially, short-pubescent adaxially, varying to glabrous or glabrescent.
blades elliptic, ovate, or broadly ovate to orbiculate, obovate-orbiculate, or broadly rhombate, 1–20 × 2–6 cm, adpressed-pubescent abaxially and adaxially.
2–4 cm in flower, elongating to 21 cm in fruit;
bracteoles spinose;
basal wings attached at base and sometimes slightly on sides.
to 30 cm;
bracts membranous;
bracteoles long-aristate, spinose;
wings attached at sides and base.
tepals 5, 4–5 mm;
pseudostaminodes with margins entire, denticulate, or slightly 2-lobed at apex.
tepals 4 or 5, length 3–7 mm;
pseudostaminodes with margins fimbriate at apex, often with dorsal scale.
elliptic, 2.5 mm.
± cylindric, 2–4 mm, apex truncate or depressed.
Achyranthes japonica
Achyranthes aspera
The plants of Achyranthes japonica in our area evidently belong to var. hachijoensis Honda, which has glabrous or glabrescent leaves.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 6 (2 in the flora).
Achyranthes aspera is a variable, pantropical species divided into six varieties (C. C. Townsend 1974), two of which occur in the flora. The variety with a long perianth and acuminate leaves has long been called var. aspera; the variety with a short perianth and blunt leaves, var. indica. However, A. Cavaco (1962) showed that the type of var. indica must be the type of the species A. aspera, thus var. indica is a homotypic synonym of var. aspera. Townsend made the combination A. aspera var. pubescens for plants previously called var. aspera.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaf blades elliptic, ovate, or broadly ovate, apex acuminate; tepals 6-7 mm | var. pubescens |
1. Leaf blades orbiculate, obovate-orbiculate, or broadly rhombate, apex rounded, apiculate; tepals 3-4 mm | var. aspera |
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