Acalypha indica L.

Code

ACCIN

Life form

broadleaf

Biological cycle

annual

Habitat

terrestrial

Global description

Acalypha indica is a herbaceous erect plant, growing up to 1 m in height, light green in colour. The stem is ribbed, branched near the base for larger plant. The leaves are simple, alternate, with long petiole, often inserted along the whole length of the stem or only near the top. The leaf lamina is ovate, pointed at the apex and with finely serrated margin in the upper half. The inflorescences develop at the base of leaves on small branches. The female flowers are surrounded at the base by a small green leafy cup with serrated edge. The male flowers, very small, are clustered at the ends. The fruit is a small capsule, often adorned with thorns or outgrowths, with 3 loculus each containing a seed.

Cotyledons

The cotyledons are stalked with a spatulate lamina having glabrous surfaces.

First leaves

The first leaves are simple, alternate, held by a petiole longer than the lamina. The lamina is typically oval with pointed apex. The margin is finely and evenly serrated. The main vein and the secondary ones are visible as from the first leaf.

General habit

Erect herbaceous plant, simple or rarely branched, pubescent with curved short hairs, measuring up to 1 m in height.

Underground system

It has a taproot system.

Stem

The stem is full, ribbed, covered with fine curved pubescent hairs.

Leaves

The leaves are simple, alternate, with a slender petiole, 3 cm to 7 cm long, generally longer than the blade. The petiole is covered with the same fine curved pubescent hairs as the stem. There are 2 small linear stipules at the base which fall off rapidly. Relatively large ovate lamina, 2 cm to 6 cm long and 2 cm to 4 cm wide, with pointed but sometimes acuminate top, progressively tapering off in a large to rounded corner towards the base which is often a little decurrent on the petiole . The margin is finely serrated in the upper half of  the leaf blade and entire in the lower one. The two surfaces are glabrous with a few fine hairs on the veins of the inferior side. 5  main veins which emerge palmated from the base.

Inflorescence

The inflorescences are axillary spike-like racemes or spikes reaching 5 cm in length.

Flower

The lower 2/3 of the inflorescences bear female flowers in small groups (2-3) included in large leafy bracts, 2 to 6 mm in diameter, with finely serrated margin. Up to 15 bracts per raceme can be counted.
The upper 1/3 of the inflorescences comprises up to twenty tiny male flowers in small clusters without bract. The end of the raceme is usually flowerless or bears an allomorphic female flower.

Fruit

The fruit is a deeply trilobed globose capsule, 1.5 mm in diameter, hispid, containing three seeds.

Seed

The seed is oval to ellipsoidal 1.3 mm long. Smooth seed coat, dark green to black in colour.

A. indica is a monoecious (male and female flowers are separate on the same plant) annual or short-lived species. It reproduces by seed, produced in large numbers.

Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Acalypha%2520indica