Asian copperleaf is a small weedy annual from East Asia that has turned up in a few places in the United States. Its tiny female flowers hide inside leaf-like at the base of short flower spikes. It belongs to the same genus as the native three-seeded mercuries and copperleafs.
Appearance
- Growth form
- An upright, branching annual herb, usually 8–24 in (20–60 cm) tall.
- Leaves
- Alternate, oblong to lance-shaped leaves about 1–3 in (3–8 cm) long with toothed edges, on long stalks. Usually three main veins spread from the leaf base.
- Flowers
- Tiny male flowers crowd along a slender spike in the leaf axils, while a few female flowers sit below them, tucked inside a bract.
- Fruit
- A small, round, three-lobed capsule about 1/8 in (3 mm) across, enclosed by the bract.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Grassy places
- Cultivated fields
- Disturbed ground
- Range
- Native to eastern Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. In the US it is an introduced plant recorded from New York and Iowa; it is also naturalized in eastern Australia.
- Preferred conditions
- In its native range it grows in grassy places and cultivated ground.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Reproduces only by seed.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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