Acalypha (English spelling) Acalypha; copperleaf; three-seeded mercury

Japanese: アカリファ（英語表記）Acalypha; copperleaf; three-seeded mercury

A genus of the Euphorbiaceae family, herbaceous or woody. About 300 species are distributed from the tropics to the subtropics. The leaves are alternate, mostly ovate with rough sawtooth. They are monoecious or heteroecious. The flowers are small and lack petals, forming spikes. Acalypha wilkesiana is a woody plant with beautiful leaf coloring, and there are many varieties with mottled leaves in red, yellow, and pale yellow, and it is used as a hedge or roadside tree in various tropical regions. On the other hand, Acalypha hispida, another woody plant, and Cat's Tail, another herbaceous plant, are sold in pots for their decorative red, slender spikes. In warm regions, it overwinter outdoors, but in the Kansai region and north, it often dies, so it is kept in a greenhouse or a bright room during the winter. The leaf color becomes more vivid if it is exposed to a lot of sunlight.

Akkarifa
Acalypha wilkesiana

A shrub of the Euphorbiaceae family. It is believed to be native to the island of New Britain in the South Pacific and is widely cultivated for ornamental purposes. It grows to a height of 2-3m, but those grown in pots as ornamental plants are shorter. The leaves are alternate and have long stalks. The blades are broadly ovate with a pointed tip, 10-20cm long, with sawtooth edges and some with a heart-shaped base. The leaves are beautiful with noticeable pink and copper-red spots. Long, string-like flower spikes emerge from the leaf axils and are crimson-red in color. The individual flowers are small and densely packed, with no petals. There are many horticultural varieties with different leaf colors and variegation.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

トウダイグサ科の属名で，草本または木本。熱帯から亜熱帯にかけて約 300種が分布する。葉は互生し，多くは卵形で粗い鋸歯をもつ。雌雄同株または異株。花は小型で花弁を欠き，穂状花序を形成する。アカリファ・ウィルケシアナは特に葉色が美しい木本で，赤や黄，淡黄色などの斑 (ふ) 模様の葉をもつ多彩な品種があり，熱帯各地で生垣や街路樹などに利用されている。一方，同じく木本のベニヒモノキ A.hispidaや草本のキャッツテールのように，紅色の細長い穂状花序を観賞するものが鉢植えで流通する。暖地では戸外で越冬するが，関西地方以北では枯死することが多いため，冬期は温室または明るい室内で管理する。よく日に当てたほうが葉色が鮮明になる。

アカリファ
Acalypha wilkesiana

トウダイグサ科の低木。南太平洋のニューブリテン島原産とされ，観賞用に広く栽培される。高さ2～3mになるが，観葉植物として鉢植にされるものは低い。葉は互生し長い柄があり，葉身は先のとがった広卵形で長さ 10～20cm，縁に鋸歯があり，基部は心形になるものもある。葉面にピンクや赤銅色の斑点が目立ち，美しい。葉腋から長い紐状の花穂を出し，紅赤色を帯びる。密集する個々の花は小さく，花弁はない。葉の色や斑の入り方などで多くの園芸品種がある。

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