Acalypha hispida
| Habit | shrub
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|---|---|---|
| Height: | ⇕ | 12 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 12. |
| Width: | ⇔ | 5 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 5. |
| Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
| Bloom: | ❀ | early summer, mid summer, late summer |
| Exposure: | ☼ | part-sun |
|---|---|---|
| Features: | ✓ | flowers |
| USDA Zones: | 11 to 12 | |
| Flower features: | ❀ | red, pink |
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Acalypha > |
hispida > |
The Chenille plant (Acalypha hispida) is a flowering shrub which belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae, the subfamily Acalyphinae, and the genus Acalypha. Acalypha is the fourth largest genus of the Euphorbiaceae family, and contains many plants native to Hawaii and Oceania. This plant is also known as the Philippines Medusa, red hot cat's tail and fox tail in English, pokok ekor kucing in Malay, Rabo de Gato in Portuguese and Tai tượng đuôi chồn in Vietnamese. Acalypha hispida is cultivated as a house plant because of its attractiveness and brilliantly colored, furry flowers.
The plant originated in Oceania, but has become naturalized to multiple countries in North America, including the United States, Mexico, and Belize. It can grow to be six to twelve feet (1.8-3.7 meters) tall, and have a spread of three to six feet (0.9-1.8 meters). The plant has become somewhat domesticated, due to the nature and color of its flowers. It can be grown from seeds as well as from cuttings. It can be kept either as an outdoor plant or as a houseplant. However, care should be taken in growing it, as all parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested by animals.
The plant is dioecious, and therefore there are distinct male and female members of the species. The female plant bears pistillate flowers which range in color from purple to bright red, and grow in clusters along catkins. This feature is the primary reason the plant bears the nickname “red-hot cat tail”. The pistillates will grow all year long as long as the temperatures are favorable.
Read about Acalypha hispida in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Acalypha hispida, Burm. f. (A. Sanderi} N. E. Br.). Red- Hot Cat-tail. Fig. 77. Cult, chiefly for its long red, amarantus-like spikes of fls. which are much longer than the lvs.: lvs. green. E. Indies. Burm. Fl. Ind. —A very striking garden plant. Called by various names, as Chenille Plant, Philippine Medusa, and others. Var. ramosa, Hort., has upper spikes branched or compound. Var. alba, Hort., spikes creamy white. CH
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References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
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