chenille plant
Acalypha hispida
RHS AGM 1993
USDA zones10 to 11
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size4 to 6 feet tall6 to 8 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Erect
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Red
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Notes
Chenille plant (Acalypha hispida) is a shrub for borders, containers, and accents. It grows outdoors year-round in USDA zone 10 and warmer, down to about 30°F (-1°C). In colder areas, grow it as a houseplant or bring it indoors for winter. This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist soil of most types. It makes red blooms and stays evergreen. It grows 4 to 6 feet tall and tolerates drought.
Pairs well with Weeping fig, Umbrella plant, Concha ceanothus, and Queen Sophia French marigold.
Native range
Middle East, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and 15 more places. See all 19
Middle East, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Andaman Is., Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Hainan, Jawa, Laccadive Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Maldives, Maluku, Nansei-shoto, Nicobar Is., Northern Provinces, Socotra, and Sumatera.