Bristly Copperleaf
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called chenille plant, Foxtail, Philippines Medusa, Red Hot Cat's Tail, Red-hot Cat Tail and Red-Hot Cattail.
Bristly Copperleaf is toxic
- Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Diterpene esters. Clinical signs: Drooling, vomiting, diarrhea. ASPCA
- Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Diterpene esters. Clinical signs: Drooling, vomiting, diarrhea. ASPCA
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Clay, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- ToxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- ToxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- During growth, water generously and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser. In winter give little water, keeping the compost barely moist.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- While growing, water generously and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Stem cuttingsNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Root softwood cuttings during early spring, or semi-hardwood ones during late summer; bottom heat is needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Prune once flowering ends to keep it at the size you want.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by scale insects, mealybugs, glasshouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Acalypha hispida, the chenille plant, is a flowering shrub which belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae, the subfamily Acalyphinae, and the genus Acalypha. Acalypha is the fourth largest genus of the family Euphorbiaceae, and contains many plants native to Oceania.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Bismarck Arch.World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Melanesia or MalesiaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026New Guinea, MalayaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- Perennial, Shrub; habit erectNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 48–72 in; width 60–96 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1.5-2.5 metres; spread 1-1.5 metres after 10–20 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, red/burgundy; blooms in fall, spring, summer, winterNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers red in spring, summer, autumn and winterRHS · read 13 September 2026
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.