Acalypha rhomboidea Raf.

Common Three Seed Mercury; Common Copperleaf; Rhombic Copperleaf

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Common Three Seed Mercury is a native herbaceous annual in the Spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). It occurs throughout Alabama. Common Three Seed Mercury occurs in moist woodlands, near creeks and ponds, on roadsides, in agricultural fields, and in disturbed areas. It is an annual with a tap root. Stems are erect, sparsely pubescent, branched, and green or reddish brown in color. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate to rhombic in outline, with crenate to serrate margins. Flowers are produced in bisexual axillary spikes. The inflorescence is subtended by a leaf-like bract with 7-9 triangular teeth. Pistillate flowers are basal on the inflorescence. The tiny green flowers lack petals. Male flowers have 4 sepals and numerous stamens. Female flowers consist of a tri-locular ovary and three laciniate styles. The fruit is a tri-locular capsule with one seed per locule. Solitary allomorphic pistillate flowers are rarely produced in the leaf axils near the base of the stem. These flowers lack bracts and have pedicles 1-2 mm in length. Allomorphic flowers have 1-2 carpels, sub-basal rather than terminal styles, and develop into nutlets with bristles or outgrowths.—A. Diamond

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Native FAC (NWPL) G5 (Global Rank)

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