■ Cat’s tail, also called cat tail or Acalypha reptans, is characterized by red flower spikes that look like a cat’s tail.
■ In fact, this flower has no petals. The fluffy, bright red parts that resemble a cat’s tail are dense clusters of tiny female flowers. What appears red is actually the finely divided pistils, or styles.
■ The scientific name reptans comes from Latin and means “creeping” or “crawling along the ground.” As the name suggests, its stems spread horizontally.
■ A closely related species is the Chenille plant (Acalypha hispida). That plant is a shrub, or woody plant, and produces long, hanging red cords that can reach several dozen centimeters in length. By contrast, this “cat’s tail” is an herbaceous perennial. Its compact and charming form is characterized by red tails that stand upright or diagonally upward.
■ Basic information
・Japanese name: Cat’s tail (also known as Acalypha reptans, Nekono-o)
・English name: Red cat’s tail, Strawberry firetail
・Scientific name: Acalypha reptans / Acalypha hispaniolae
・Family: Euphorbiaceae
・Genus: Acalypha
・Native to: West Indies
■■ Original Japanese text below:
https://t.co/xsp82iYI8O
Japanese
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