Acalypha hispida Burm.f.

 
  • Family : EUPHORBIACEAE
    (Spurge Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : AMLA FAMILY (आँवला फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Euphorbiaceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Acalypha hispida Burm.f.
  • Common name : Cat's tail, Chenille plant, Red-hot cat's tail, Foxtail, Red Hot Poker
  • Vernacular name :
    • Poochavalan, Vattapoonthaliyari (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Shrub
  • Habitat : Grown as ornamental plant
  • Comments / notes : Brought to gardens from wild. Cultivated. This species often mistaken with A. wilkisana Müll.Arg. From which it differ with having uniform green leaves and pendulous spikes; Planted as a garden decoction & hedge plant. It is laxative & vermifuge.
  • Flower, Fruit : Throughout the year
  • Collector(s) Name : George Vergis
  • Collection Date : 11-30-1975
  • Collection Nos : SJC 30
  • Collection Locality : Bangalore
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Bhumayya garipalle, Rachakuntaplle (Y.S.R. Kadapa district)
    • Karnataka : Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) district, Mysuru district. Udupi district, Dakshina Kannada district
    • Kerala : Kerala
    • Tamil Nadu : Tamil Nadu
    • Jharkhand :
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : Bismarck Archipelago
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Cultivated in most parts of the world.
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Seetharam et al., 2000 - Gulbarga
    • Rao & Razi, 1981 - Mysore
    • Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2003 - Udupi
    • Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2014 - Flora of South Kanara
    • Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (2). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • Indigenous Plants at Biodiversity Park, Ranchi - Ranchi Afforestation Division, Forest and Environmental Department, Jharkhand
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Acalypha hispida
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Acalypha hispida. Downloaded on 23 March 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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