Image: Foliage
A small herb-like shrub in subtropical and dry rainforest. There is a prostrate form in coastal areas.
Leaves are ovate (egg shaped) to lanceolate (drawn out oval) and can be quite large and soft on this small plant. Both surfaces usually densely hairy with prominent veins. The upper surface of the leaf is wringled bwteen the veins.
The male flower (inflorescence) is arranged in a spike, the female flower is a bract, more or less a modfied leaf joined to the flowering part, in this case like a flattened cup or half shell about a cm in diameter.
Image: Female flowers
To the untrained eye, can be mistaken for any number of soft weeds. You'll see this one appear after rain. The new weed Dischoriste (new in 2005 in the Enoggera catchment) is vaguely similar (but with spikey flowers) and there are some weedy Acalyphas (e.g. Acalypha australis from Asia which has a shorter male flower, less hairy leaves and a petiole at least as long as the leaf blade). A native relative (A. eremorum) with male and female flower spikes (nemorum has the cup/disc female flower) is endangered in NSW.
Another Australian Acalypha (A. capillipes) is spiny.
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