Cat tail
| Cat tail | ||||||||||||
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Cat's Tail ( Acalypha hispida ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Acalypha hispida | ||||||||||||
| Burm.f. |
The cat's tail ( Acalypha hispida ), also called Raues Nesselblatt , Nesselschön or Paradise nettle, is a species of the milkweed family (Euphorbiaceae). The home is probably New Guinea and today it can be found in all tropical countries as an ornamental plant , is often overgrown and is suitable as a houseplant .
description
Acalypha hispida is a branched shrub that reaches heights of up to 2 (to 3) meters. The alternate leaves are petiolate. The simple leaf blade is ovate, pointed, dark green, 10 to 20 centimeters long and 7 to 15 centimeters wide. The leaf margin is sawn. The petiole is up to 15 inches long. The stipules are lanceolate, 6 to 7 millimeters long and brown.
Acalypha hispida is dioecious separately sexed ( dioecious ). The mostly red, overhanging kitten-like (cat's tail-like) inflorescence is axillary, has a diameter of 1 to 1.5 centimeters and is 10 to 50 centimeters long. In the female flowers , the three to four sepals are 0.7 millimeters long. The main visual effect of the flowers are the very long, mostly purple-red, 5 to 7 millimeter long stigmas , so only female specimens are cultivated as ornamental plants. The 'Alba' variety blooms creamy white. The flowering period extends from April to October.
Ingredients and Medical Uses
The clear milky sap is poisonous and can irritate the skin and mucous membranes (symptoms of poisoning only appear after ingestion of massive amounts of plants).
Roots, leaves and flowers are used for medicinal purposes.
photos
Inflorescence - Acalypha hispida (longitudinal section)
Inflorescence - Acalypha hispida
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swell
- A. Radcliffe-Smith: In: Flora Zambesiaca . Volume 9 Part 4, 1996. Online. (engl.)
Web links
- Profile of the University of Bonn.
- On the toxicity of the species.
- Culture report ( Memento from January 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- Acalypha hispida in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.