Euphorbiaceae
Acalypha

Acalypha indica L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 1003 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Eritrea to S. Africa, Arabian Peninsula to Tropical & Subtropical Asia. It is an annual and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Morphology General Habit
A small annual to robust woody herb or subshrub up to 2.5 m., although commonly much less.
Morphology Stem
Stems sparingly to evenly crisped-puberulous or tomentose, sometimes also evenly to densely pubescent-pilose.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves arranged in a mosaic pattern; petioles up to 12 cm. long, hairy like the stems; blade ovate, often broadly so, to rhomboid-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 2–9 cm. long, 1–5 cm. wide, acute or subacute, cuneate, serrate, membranous, 5-nerved at the base, lateral nerves 4(–5) pairs, sparingly pubescent or almost glabrous above, evenly pubescent to almost glabrous, except for the puberulous midrib and main nerves, beneath.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules linear-filiform, 2 mm. long, sparingly pubescent and also with one or two gland-tipped hairs on the margin.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences spicate, axillary, solitary or paired, up to 10 cm. long, though usually not exceeding 6 cm., the lower three-quarters ♀ and usually laxly flowered, the upper quarter ♂, densely flowered, often terminated by an allomorphic ♀ flower on a long pedicel, or else the inflorescence ± completely ♀; axis crisped-puberulous; ♂ bracts minute; ♀ bracts transversely ovate to suborbicular, 0.5–1.1 cm. long, 1–1.6 cm. wide, repand-dentate, ribbed, sparingly pubescent or subglabrous and then only puberulous along the ribs, 1–2(–5)-flowered.
sex Male
Male flowers subsessile or shortly pedicellate; buds 4-gonous, slightly granulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers sessile; sepals 3, triangular-ovate, 1 mm. long, ciliate; ovary subtrilobate, 0.5 mm. diameter, sparingly pubescent above; styles united at the base, 2 mm. long, laciniate, white. Male flowers subsessile or shortly pedicellate; buds 4-gonous, slightly granulate. Allomorphic ♀ flowers obovoid, with 2 lateral fimbriate tubes, pubescent.
sex Female
Female flowers sessile; sepals 3, triangular-ovate, 1 mm. long, ciliate; ovary subtrilobate, 0.5 mm. diameter, sparingly pubescent above; styles united at the base, 2 mm. long, laciniate, white. Allomorphic ♀ flowers obovoid, with 2 lateral fimbriate tubes, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit trilobate, 1.5 mm. long, 2 mm. diameter, tubercled, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ovoid, 1.3 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, ± smooth, grey, with a flattened linear caruncle. Allomorphic ♀ flowers each producing 1 seed, identical to those of the trimerous flowers.
Habitat
Local water-catchment areas in dry country, along rivers, base of outcrops and scarps, also ruderal; 0–1330 m.
Distribution
± throughout the Old World tropics, introduced into the warmer parts of the New World K1 K2 K4 K5 K6 K7 P T2 T3 T6 U1 Z
[FTEA]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Usually an erect annual to 60 cm or very rarely a robust sub­hrub to 2.5 m; stems and petioles hairy
Morphology Leaves
Leaves clustered at stem tip; petiole up to 12 cm; blades ovate to rhomboid or lanceolate, 2–9 x 1–5 cm, base cuneate, tip acute or subacute, serrate, hairy to subglabrous except for veins; stipules 2 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes up to 6(–10) cm long, lower 3/4 female, lax-flowered, rest male, often with terminal long-pedicellate allomorphic flower, or entirely female
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Female bracts 5–12 x 10–14 mm, repand-dentate, ribbed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Allomorphic flowers smooth except for 2 fimbriate rings near apex, uniformly pubescent Male flowers 4-angular, slightly granular Female flowers: sepals 3, 1 mm long; ovary pubescent; styles 2 mm long, white
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 1.5 x 2 mm, tuberculate, pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ovoid, 1.3 x 1 mm, grey; caruncle flattened, linear.
Distribution
N1–3; C2; S1, 2 ± throughout drier Old World tropics, introduced into New World.
Ecology
Altitude range 15–2130 m.
Note
A. somalensis is placed here on the strength of Pax’s own later (1924) treatment; it is known only from the protologue.
[FSOM]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Euphorbiaceae, A. Radcliffe-Smith. Flora Zambesiaca 9:4. 1996

Morphology General Habit
An erect usually simple-stemmed annual, or sometimes a woody subperennial herb or subshrub up to 1.2 m tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems ribbed, and pubescent along the ribs.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petioles up to 8.5 cm long.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf blades 2–7 × 1–5 cm, ovate to ovate-rhombic, acute or subacute at the apex, serrate except towards the base, cuneate at the base, membranous, sparingly puberulous or pubescent to subglabrous or glabrous on both surfaces, sometimes more evenly puberulous along the midrib and main nerves beneath, 5-nerved from the base; lateral nerves in 4–5 pairs.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules 2 mm long, linear-filiform, ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences up to 9 cm long, spicate, axillary, solitary or paired, mostly female with a few male flowers above, or else all female, often terminated by a long-pedicellate allomorphic female flower; male bracts minute; female bracts accrescent to up to 1.2 × 1.4 cm, transversely ovate to suborbicular, repand-dentate, many ribbed, sparingly pubescent along the ribs, otherwise usually ± glabrous, up to 5-flowered.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Male flowers subsessile; buds tetragonal, slightly granulate, yellowish-green; anthers white. Female flowers sessile; sepals 3, 1 mm long, triangular-ovate, ciliate; ovary 0.5 mm in diameter, somewhat 3-lobed, sparingly pubescent above; styles 2 mm long, united at the base, laciniate, white. Allomorphic female flowers obovoid, with a pair of fimbriate whorls near the top, pubescent.
sex Male
Male flowers subsessile; buds tetragonal, slightly granulate, yellowish-green; anthers white.
sex Female
Female flowers sessile; sepals 3, 1 mm long, triangular-ovate, ciliate; ovary 0.5 mm in diameter, somewhat 3-lobed, sparingly pubescent above; styles 2 mm long, united at the base, laciniate, white. Allomorphic female flowers obovoid, with a pair of fimbriate whorls near the top, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits 1.5 × 2 mm, 3-lobed, tuberculate, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 1.3 × 1 mm, ovoid, ± smooth, grey, with a flattened linear caruncle.
[FZ]

Common Names

English
Indian acalypha, Poison bush

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/