Species · genus Acalypha · Euphorbiaceae

Jacob's Coat

Acalypha wilkesiana Müll.Arg.

Also known as: Match Me If You Can · Beefsteakplant · Copperleaf · Fire-dragon · Capa De Obispo

Growth habit

shrub or tree

Native range

Bismarck Archipelago, Fiji, Solomon Is., Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Reference · A. wilkesiana

Cultivars of A. wilkesiana

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under A. wilkesiana 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 wilkesiana is a tropical shrub from the warm islands of the South Pacific, grown for its mottled copper-and-pink foliage. It wants warmth, steady but not soggy moisture, and bright indirect light to keep its leaf color; water when the top inch of mix has dried, and let excess drain freely.

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

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–29 °C

Soil mix

Fertile, well-draining potting mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings rooted in warm, humid conditions

Fertilizing

Balanced feed monthly to keep foliage color vivid

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Grown for copper-mottled leaves; blooms insignificant

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Euphorbiaceae commonly carry irritant milky latex that can affect skin, eyes, and the digestive tract. 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 images

Sources: 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 Jacob's Coat 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.