Summary ³

Acalypha rhomboidea (common three-seeded mercury, rhombic three-seeded-mercury, rhomboid mercury, copperleaf, rhombic copper-leaf, three-seeded-mercury, ricinelle rhomboide, diamond threeseed mercury; syn. Acalypha urticifolia Raf., Acalypha virginica L. forma intermedia Millsp., Acalypha virginica L. var. rhombifolia Riddell, Acalypha virginica L. var. rhomboidea (Raf.) Cooperr.

Description ⁴

Family:
Euphorbiaceae (Spurge)

Height:
6 to 24 inches

Leaves:
Leaves (up to 4” long and 1” wide) are densely packed and alternately attached on long, slender, slightly hairy stalks. Leaf shape is ovate to lanceolate, often with an angular (rhomboid) appearance, and blunt-toothed edges. Leaf surfaces have prominent pinnate venation, and are medium to dark green in color, but the undersides and stalks of the leaves often turn brownish-red with age.

Flower:
Dense clusters of tiny, short-stalked, petalless flowers emerge from lobed bracts, situated where the leaf stalks meet the main stem. The leafy bracts are green to red-brown in color, while the inconspicuous flowers are yellow to brown in color.

Bloom time:
June-October

Nicknames:
Common Three-seed Mercury, Virginia Three-seed Mercury, Rhomboid Mercury, Common Copperleaf, Rhombic Copperleaf

Habitat:
This species grows in conditions ranging from partial shade to full sun, in moist to somewhat dry soils. It tolerates a variety of soil types, but thrives in fertile, loamy soils. It is commonly found in disturbed areas ranging from gardens to roadsides, but also grows in forest openings, streambanks, and thickets.

Wildlife Benefits:
Seeds are a food source for a variety of birds. Deer occasionally feed on the foliage.

Can I plant this in my garden?
While native, this species is not an ideal garden plant. It is fairly weedy, and is often found as a volunteer in gardens and lawns. This species is a food source for birds, and can be left alone when found in home gardens; however, it has little value to pollinators and herbivores, so it can be controlled by hand pulling if it is unwanted or begins to spread aggressively.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/three-seeded-mercury
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/rhomb_mercury.htm
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acalypha-rhomboidea/

Range ⁴

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Suzanne Cadwell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/scadwell/9427872845/
2. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, all rights reserved, uploaded by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District
3. Adapted by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acalypha_rhomboidea
4. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

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