Acalypha arvensis
Poepp.
Euphorbiaceae
Acalypha capitellata Brandegee
Acalypha hystrix Balb. ex Spreng.
Acalypha pavoniana Müll.Arg.
Ricinocarpus arvensis (Poepp.) Kuntze
Common Name:
General Information
Acalypha arvensis is a rather variable annual plant; usually erect to ascending and up to 50cm tall, the plant can be unbranched or branched, and the stems sometimes become more elongate, procumbent, and rooting at the lower nodes[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
Range
S. America - Peru, Bolivia and northern Brazil, north through tropical America to Guatemala and Mexico; Caribbean - Trinidad, Windward Islands
Habitat
Moist or wet thickets, fields, or banks, often a weed in cultivated or waste ground, frequent on sandbars along streams; at elevations up to 1,500 metres[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 0.40 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
The plant is commonly known in Guatemala by the name 'Hierba del Cancer', where it is much used in household medicine[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
]. The herb has a reputation as a 'cancer cure', and it is used commonly in treating sores, cutaneous and
venereal diseases, and the bites of various poisonous animals[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
,
1752- Title
- Ethnobotany of the Miskitu of Eastern Nicaragua
- Publication
- Journal of Ethnobiology 17(2):171-214, Winter 1997
- Author
- Coe F.G. & Anderson G.J.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1997
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
