Acalypha hispida (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Acalypha hispida Burm.f.

Protologue: Fl. ind.: 203, t. 61, fig. 1 (1768).

Synonyms

• Acalypha densiflora Blume (1826).

Vernacular names

• Red hot cat-tail, chenille plant (En)
• Indonesia: buntut kuching (Malay, Jakarta), tali anjing (Sundanese), wunga tambang (Javanese)
• Malaysia: buntut kuching, ekur kuching
• Thailand: mai prom (northern), haang krarok daeng (central), huu plaa chon (southwestern)
• Vietnam: tai tượng xanh, tai tượng duôi chồn.

Distribution

Supposed to have originated in New Guinea, frequently cultivated elsewhere throughout Malesia and other tropical regions.

Uses

In Indonesia, the roots and flowers, fresh or in decoction, are considered a remedy for haemoptysis. The leaves are used to treat thrush. In Malaysia a decoction of the leaves and flowers is externally applied as an emollient to wounds and ulcers; internally it is used as a laxative and diuretic in gonorrhoea. The bark is applied as an expectorant in asthma.

Observations

• A shrub up to 3 m tall.
• Leaves ovate, 9-20 cm × 7-15 cm, base broadly cuneate, apex narrowly acute or obtuse, margin serrate, petiole 1-5(-10) cm long.
• Female inflorescence pendulous, 10-50 cm long, thick, with a dense mat of crimson styles.

In cultivation, usually var. sander (N.E. Br.) J.J. Smith is encountered, which has a more robust habit, larger green, slightly cordate leaves, with longer petioles and longer female inflorescences.

Selected sources

• [31] Airy Shaw, H.K., 1972. The Euphorbiaceae of Siam. Kew Bulletin 26: 191—363.
• [33] Airy Shaw, H.K., 1980. The Euphorbiaceae of New Guinea. Kew Bulletin Additional Series VIII. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, United Kingdom. 243 pp.
• [35] Airy Shaw, H.K., 1982. The Euphorbiaceae of Central Malesia (Celebes, Moluccas, Lesser Sunda Is.). Kew Bulletin 37: 1—40.
• [36] Airy Shaw, H.K., 1983. An alphabetical enumeration of the Euphorbiaceae of the Philippines Islands. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. 56 pp.
• [74] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1964) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• [135] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I—Z) pp. 1241—2444.
• [215] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948—1976. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials & industrial products. 11 volumes. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi, India.
• [407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• [459] Huxley, A., Griffiths, M. & Levy, M., 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 4 volumes. The MacMillan Press Ltd., London, United Kingdom. 3353 pp.
• [662] Matthew, K.M., 1981—1988. The flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic. 4 volumes. The Rapinat Herbarium, St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, India.
• [786] Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.
• [813] Radcliffe-Smith, A., 1987. Euphorbiaceae (Part 1). In: Polhill, R. (Editor): Flora of Tropical East Africa. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, the Netherlands & Boston, United States. pp. 1—407.

Main genus page

• Acalypha

Authors

• Arbayah H. Siregar