# Three-Seeded Mercuries (*acalypha*)

The Three-Seeded Mercuries is a fascinating plant that produces tiny, three-seeded pods. Kids will love exploring its unique leaves and vibrant green color!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Gardens, parks, and open fields.
- **Also known as:** Acalypha Plant, Seeded Mercury, Three-Seed Mercury

![Three-Seeded Mercuries](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Acalypha_hispida.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Bouba at French Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acalypha_hispida.jpg)

## Appearance

The Three-Seeded Mercuries has distinctive rhomboid or oval leaves with serrated edges, often a muted green. It produces inconspicuous greenish flower spikes in leaf axils. Its most notable feature is the small, three-lobed seed capsule, which can sometimes have a reddish tint.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Malpighiales
- **Family:** Euphorbiaceae
- **Genus:** Acalypha

## Interesting facts

- Its common name comes from its seed pods, which usually hold exactly three tiny seeds!
- Some call it 'Mercury-weed' because it shows up almost everywhere humans disturb soil!
- The plant’s Latin name, Acalypha, means 'nettle,' even though it doesn't sting!
- You can often find this adaptable plant popping up in gardens and along roadsides!

## Special abilities

- **Explosive Seeds:** Three-Seeded Mercuries can launch its tiny seeds from its capsules with a mini-explosion to spread widely!
- **Wind Whisperer:** Three-Seeded Mercuries has tiny, subtle flowers that catch the wind's currents to spread pollen efficiently.
- **Hardy Pioneer:** Three-Seeded Mercuries can thrive in disturbed soils, helping it colonize new areas quickly.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-50 cm
- **Spread:** 15-30 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer, Fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Wind

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** [Red-legged Grasshopper](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-legged-grasshopper) (*Melanoplus femurrubrum*) — Feeds on its leaves
- **Eats:** [White-footed Mouse](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-footed-mouse) (*Peromyscus leucopus*) — Consumes its small seeds
- **Eats:** [Eastern Towhee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-towhee) (*Pipilo erythrophthalmus*) — Forages for its seeds

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Three-Seeded Mercuries?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Three-Seeded Mercuries?

10-50 cm

### How wide does Three-Seeded Mercuries spread?

15-30 cm

### How big are the flowers on Three-Seeded Mercuries?

0.1-0.5 cm

### When does Three-Seeded Mercuries bloom?

Summer, Fall

### Is Three-Seeded Mercuries edible?

No

### Is Three-Seeded Mercuries toxic?

None

### What is Three-Seeded Mercuries's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Raglan Road Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/raglan-road-park) — Virginia, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Three-Seeded Mercuries: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/three-seeded-mercuries)