Amazing cat’s tails

Brighten your garden with these two lovely plants that are fun to grow, writes Elaine Yim

TODAY I have two very showy, sensational plants. They can become the star attraction and conversation piece in your garden.

Cat’s Tail sounds common but the plants are actually quite amazing. One variety is huge and spectacular while the other is dainty and cute. They just keep on growing and blooming. No, I’m not talking about the Common Cattail (Typha latifolia) that grows wild in lakes and ponds.

Both plants are classified under the Euphorbiaceae family of plants which include Crown Of Thorns (Euphorbia milii), Christmas Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima), Croton plants (Codiaeum variegatum) and rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis).

The genus name Acalypha is derived from the ancient Greek word “acklephes” for nettle, as its leaves resemble those in plants of the nettle (Urtika) family.

ACALYPHA HISPIDA
Common name: Chenille Plant, Red-Hot Cat’s Tail, Fox Tail.
Malay name: Ekor Kucing (Cat’s Tail), Buntut Kucing (Cat’s Bottom), Ekor Kera (Monkey’s Tail)
Chinese name: Gou Wei Hong (Red Dog’s Tail)
Category: Evergreen perennial shrub
Origin: Malesia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and New Guinea).

The species name, Hispida, is derived from the Latin word hispidus, meaning covered with rough/stiff hairs. Chenille is a French word for hairy caterpillar.
People have confused this species with the edible Amaranthus caudatus (Love-lies-bleeding) because the flower spikes look similar.

The Chenille plant is an erect shrub that can grow up to two metres tall with a spread of 1.8m in width. Potted plants are more compact at a lower height. The leaves are large, medium green, oval-shaped with a toothed margin and pointed at the tip. Size is between 10-20cm long and 7-10cm wide. Chenille plants are dioecious, meaning that they have male plants bearing only staminate flowers, and female plants, bearing only pistillate flowers. What we usually see are the female plants. Male plants are rare. The flowers are tiny and inconspicuous.

Flowers are small and clustered together in long, drooping inflorescences or catkins that can extend to 50cm long. The catkins are a fire engine red to crimson in colour. They are fluffy in appearance and velvety. Each flower spike hangs a short distance from one another, and from a distance, they look like long dangling cat tails. There is a cultivar, Alba, with creamy-white cat tails.

The attractive feature of the plant are the fiery red cat’s tail blooms which are long-lasting and are produced the whole year round. When blown by the wind, they sway like a cat’s tail. Very charming.

They can be grown in containers as a house plant or in the ground as an accent, specimen, hedge or mass-planting in borders.

Growing tips
1. Propagation: By stem cuttings.
2. Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade. They flower best under the full sun.
3. Soil: The medium should be moderately moist and well-drained.
4. Water: Water regularly.
5. Fertilisers: Apply a well-balanced fertiliser fortnightly.
6. Prune: To promote new growth and flowering.
7. Pests: Watch out for mealy bugs, spider mites and scale. Remove damaged leaves by pinching or cutting off the affected parts. It can withstand some harsh pruning.

ACALYPHA CHAMAEDRIFOLIA
Synonyms: A. reptans, A. repens, A. pendula
Common name: Dwarf Chenille Plant, Dwarf Cat’s Tail, Trailing Cat’s Tail, Strawberry Fire Tail
Category: Evergreen perennial shrub
Origin: Florida and Central America

The species is named Chamaedrifolia because the leaves resemble the chamaedrys (Germander), an old grouping of plants while reptans means creeping.

This low trailing herb is a dwarf version of the Chenille Plant. It can only grow to about 15-30cm tall with a spread of 38cm. The leaves are dark green, small, about 1-5cm long and look like strawberry leaves. The flower spikes, which are about 5cm in length, resemble cat’s tails.

The attractive feature is the cute little red cat’s tail flowers which look fluffy and furry. They are soft to touch and twirl around the fingers. This low maintenance plant also flowers non-stop.

It will look great in a hanging basket or high planter box. Such a display will highlight the ornate beauty of their tassel-like flowers. You can also use it as ground cover in mass-planting.

Growing tips
1. Propagation: By stem cuttings and rootball divisions.
2. Sunlight: Partial shade with dappled light.
3. Soil: The medium should be humus rich, moist and well-drained.
4. Water: Keep it well-watered. It loves humidity.
5. Fertilisers: Apply a well-balanced fertiliser fortnightly.
6. Prune: To shape the plant.
7. Pests: Watch out for spider mites, mealy bugs and scales.

Tips for hanging baskets
Place your hanging basket near a hose for easy watering. Hang it on a secure hook. Add some water-retaining gel to the soil mix and use a time-release fertiliser.

The Dwarf Cat’s Tail is a relatively low maintenance plant

Red-Hot Cat’s Tail

1 / 2