Acalypha gracilens
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Acalypha gracilens var. delzii
- Acalypha gracilens var. fraseri
- Acalypha virginica var. fraseri
- Acalypha virginica var. gracilens
- Phonetic Spelling
- ak-uh-LY-fuh grass-il-ENS
- Description
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Acalypha gracilens, or Slender Threeseed Mercury, is an native, herbaceous, annual wildflower in the spurge family typically found in the Eastern United States. The botanical name, Acalypha is Greek and refers to the nettle-like shape of the leaves. Gracilens is Latin for slender or graceful.
Slender Threeseed Mercury has very showy bracts. (The best example of colorful bracts can be found on Poinsettias, which are also members of the Euphorbiaceae family.) Slender Threeseed Mercury is considered a weed and will grow just about anywhere, including sandy pinewoods, mixed forests, rocky outcrops as well as disturbed areas. The plant has a taproot that can grow deep in the soil, making it difficult to dislodge once established. A better strategy to avoid continuous weeding is to deadhead the flowers as soon as seed is set or dig out the plant while it is still small.
Slender Threeseed Mercury is a slender, upright plant that grows to a height between 1 and 3 feet depending on growing conditions. The stems are branched and green or reddish-brown. This, combined with its striking fall coloring, leads to the common names Shortstalk Copperleaf and Slender Copperleaf. The plant has male and female flowers.
Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: No known disease or insect problems.
VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti", a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Acalypha
- Species:
- gracilens
- Family:
- Euphorbiaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central and eastern United States.
- Distribution:
- AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Native Plant
- Weed
- Wildflower
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Multi-stemmed
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is less than an inch around. Each female flower has the capacity to produce three seeds if well pollinated. There is one variety, monococca, which produces only one seed. After pollination, a small, three lobed 'crown' develops with a seed in each developed lobe. The plant is air pollinated.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Raceme
- Spike
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Crown
- Flower Petals:
- Bracts
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Insignificant half inch flowers, but colorful bracts that bloom mid-spring. The flowers are carried in the axils of the leaves, (that is, the point where the leaf emerges from the stem). The plant produces female and male flowers held on a raceme less than half an inch long. The female flower, at the base, has tiny, bright green bracts with serrated edges and translucent 'hairs' at the base of the pistil. It is only after pollination has occurred that the flowers become more obvious. The male flowers are held at the end of the raceme in a tight cluster of many flowers around a quarter of an inch long. They have white to golden yellow petals.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Filiform
- Oblong
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are set alternately on the stem, very narrow and between one and two inches long. They are a bright green color turning reddish copper in the autumn.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- The stem is slender and usually straight with branching. It carries small hairs along its entire length. The color can vary from green to reddish-brown.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Problems:
- Weedy
