Acalypha virginica, known as Virginia Three-seeded Mercury, is a native annual herbaceous plant found throughout much of the eastern and central United States. It typically grows 1 to 2.5 feet tall and has oval to lance-shaped leaves with serrated edges. The plant produces small, greenish flowers without petals, arranged in dense, bristly spikes in the leaf axils. Like other members of its genus, it forms capsules containing three seeds. Virginia Three-seeded Mercury grows in open woodlands, fields, and disturbed soils. It is an important part of early successional plant communities and contributes to ground-level biodiversity in its native range.
