Is three-seeded Mercury invasive?

Notes: Three-seeded Mercury is a common native of abandoned lots, roadsides, railroads, and disturbed soil. A number of plants volunteered in my own backyard garden. It is generally considered a weedy species, but does not take over areas like invasive species do.

Is Acalypha virginica edible?

Virginia copperleaf grows everywhere as a noxious weed. Its Latin name is Acalypha virginica and it has a number of other common names, including three-seeded mercury and mercury weed. Virginia copperleaf is not edible and I can find very few medicinal uses for it also.

How do I get rid of copperleaf?

Broadleaf weed killer (click for sources) and any of the glyphosate (click for sources) products will kill copperleaf. The key is to pull or kill the weed before it drops seed, which it can do only a few weeks after germination.

What does the mercury plant look like?

Leaves: large and long pointed oval-shaped leaves with toothed edges. They are bright green, hairy and crowded towards the top of the stem. Flowers: are small and green. They flower in the spring.

What kind of plant is three seeded mercury?

To me it is the weed with no name, or at least none I know. Then last week I discovered its identity, Three Seeded Mercury (Acalypha rhomboidea), while researching information for its ornamental cousin Copperleaf, Acalypha wilkesiana.

What’s the difference between Virginia three seeded mercury and Acalypha virginica?

Common three-seeded Mercury can be distinguished from Virginia three-seeded Mercury (Acalypha virginica) by the number of lobes on the large carpellate bracts: this species has five to nine lobes while Virginia three-seeded Mercury has nine to fifteen.

Where to find three seeded mercury in Colorado?

Three seeded mercury is a common weed in disturbed sites everywhere east of the Rockies. As weeds go it is not as obnoxious as many because it can be pulled easily without stooping over or spending a lot of time grubbing it out by its roots.

How big are the leaves on a Mercury plant?

Leaves are 1 to 3 inches long and arranged alternately along the stem with a lance shaped form and blunt, serrations along the edge. The petiole may be half as long as the leaf blade. In the fall the entire plant will often take on a coppery fall color as the leaves die.