Reviewed public profile
Chenille plant
Acalypha hispida
Other names: Philippine medusa, Red hot cat tail. It can grow to be 1.5–3.7 m, and have a spread of 0.91–1.83 m, with potted plants being the smallest in growth. It can be grown from seeds as well as from cuttings. The plant is dioecious, and therefore there are distinct male and female members of the species. The female plant bears pistillate flowers which are 0.7 millimeters long and range in color from purple to bright red, and grow in clusters along catkins that can grow up to 50cm or more in length. This feature is the primary reason the plant bears the nickname “red-hot cat tail”. The pistillates will grow all year long as long as the temperatures are favorable. The leaves are large, oval and bright green to reddish copper.
Growing profile
At a glance
- Plant type
- shrub
- Typical size
- x-large 100–300cm
- Humidity
- 50–70%
Native context
Distribution and habitat
- Countries
- Papua New Guinea
- Elevation
- Montane (1,000–2,000 m)
- Flowering
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
Derived growing context
Climate range
- Temperature profile
- Intermediate
- Mean temperature
- 17 °C
- Day temperature
- 22 °C
- Night temperature
- 13 °C
- Summer mean
- 19 °C
- Winter mean
- 16 °C
- Temperature span
- 9 °C
- Annual temperature swing
- 3 °C
- Seasonality
- Monsoonal / wet-dry
- Adaptability
- Specialist
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- Papua New Guinea
Country boundaries: Natural Earth, public domain.
Ecosystems
Explore ecosystem knowledge
Ecosystem evidence
Habitat-specific growing context
Moist forest
Moderately humid forest
- Latitude
- Tropical
- Moisture
- Moderate
- Elevation
- Montane
- Seasonality
- Monsoonal / wet-dry
- Mean temperature
- 17 °C
- Day temperature
- 22 °C
- Night temperature
- 13 °C
- Annual temperature swing
- 3 °C
Seasonal context
- Likely wet/dry season pattern (common in tropical/subtropical regions)
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Stable BJURNY record: tx_4657641463c64efeba83