FoI
Dwarf Cat Tail
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Dwarf Cat Tail
P Introduced Photo: Gary Thingnam
Common name: Dwarf Cat Tail, Red cat's tail, Strawberry Foxtail, Dwarf Chenille Plant
Botanical name: Acalypha pendula    Family: Euphorbiaceae (Castor family)
Synonyms: Acalypha chamaedrifolia var. pendula

Dwarf Cat Tail is a trailing herbaceous perennial, up to 20 cm tall and 45 cm or more wide; lacking latex; fine texture; medium growth rate. Stems are drooping, spreading and rooting at nodes. Leaves are simple; alternate, light or dark green (depends on sun exposure); ovate; velvet-hairy; margins sawtoothed. Flowers are unisexual; prominent long drooping, stalkless; bright red spike of female flowers up to 15 cm long and 2.5 cm wide; sepal-cup usually 4, overlapping (overlapping); apetalous; ovary of 3 carpels; styles divided into threadlike segments; male flowers (male plants) small; sepals 4, valvate (edges touching but not overlapping); apetalous; stamens 8 (male plants are unknown in cultivation). Fruit is small 3-locular capsules. Native habitat: Cuba.

Identification credit: Tabish Photographed in cultivation in Langol, Manipur.

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