Species · genus Acalypha · Euphorbiaceae
Chenilleplant
Acalypha hispida Burm.f.
Also known as: Philippine-medusa · Red-cattail · Red-Hot Cat's Tail · Red-hot-cattail · Bristly Copperleaf
Cultivars of A. hispida
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under A. hispida yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.
Guide
The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.
Acalypha hispida is a tropical shrub from the warm, humid islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, grown for its long red catkin-like flower spikes. It wants bright indirect light, consistent warmth, and evenly moist but never waterlogged soil; water when the top inch of mix has dried, erring toward the drier end to avoid rot. As a tropical species it appreciates higher humidity and good drainage.
Care recipe
The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.
Care notes are early — not yet verified
- Light
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Water
- ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Bright, indirect
≈ every 10 days
High
16–29 °C
Rich, moisture-retentive well-draining mix
Softwood stem cuttings under warmth and humidity
Balanced liquid feed every 2-4 weeks while growing
Fast
Long fuzzy red catkins — the signature chenille tassels
Toxic to cats & dogs & humans
Euphorbiaceae commonly produce an irritant milky latex that can cause skin, eye, and gastrointestinal irritation. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.
Reference images
Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.
No reference gallery yet
A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.
Add imagesSources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Chenilleplant yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
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