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Integrated Crop Management
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Asian copperleaf

Asian copperleaf                  Acalypha australis L.

Family:  Euphorbiaceae – Spurge family
Life cycle:   Annual
Native status:  Introduced from eastern Asia
Habitat:  Gardens, urban landscaping, crop fields.

General description:  Erect growth habit, stems reaching lengths of approximately 1 to 2.5 feet. Plants are shade tolerant and can be highly branched in full sunlight. The first set of leaves have opposite arrangement and all others have alternate arrangement. Leaves have an ovate shape with blunt teeth along leaf margins. Plants often have a copper or red color on new leaves.

Key ID traits:  Bracts surrounding flowers are usually heart-shaped with blunt teeth on margins. Typically have 2 or more clustered fruit per bract. Unlike most other annual weeds in row crop fields, Asian copperleaf has round cotyledons with several prominent, pale veins. 

Similar species:  Iowa has several other Acalypha species that can be difficult (or impossible) to differentiate from Asian copperleaf prior to flowering. Rhomboid copperleaf (Acalypha rhomboidea) and Virginia copperleaf (Acalypha virginica) are two common species in urban landscapes and disturbed areas. Hophornbeam copperleaf (Acalypha ostryifolia) is a rare species to find in Iowa but is more likely to inhabit row crop fields than other Acalypha species that look similar to Asian copperleaf. Hophornbeam copperleaf has more rounded leaves, often with a reddish spot at the base of each leaf where it meets the petiole. All three species have bracts with deep, finger-like lobes in contrast to Asian copperleaf's heart-shaped bracts with no lobes. Waterhemp may be mistaken for this species, but a key trait difference is waterhemp's lack of teeth on the leaf margins.

Miscellaneous:  Unlike many members of the Euphorbiaceae family, the Acalypha species do not have milky sap. Asian copperleaf was first found in Iowa in a row crop field in 2016. Since then, it has been identified in numerous crop fields across northern Iowa. The long-term risk this species poses to Iowa crop fields is unknown, but farmers have reported difficulty in managing it. It is often easiest for farmers to identify at the end of the growing season when green plants remain between harvested crop rows.

seedling Asian copperleaf plants in a crop field
Asian copperleaf seedlings with round cotyledons and opposite first leaves. Photo courtesy of Meaghan Anderson.
Vegetative Asian copperleaf plants in a soybean field
Vegetative Asian copperleaf plants growing in a soybean field. Photo courtesy of Meaghan Anderson.
heart-shaped bracts surrounding floral structures of Asian copperleaf
Heart-shaped bracts with blunt teeth surround Asian copperleaf flowers. Note the fruit nestled in the bracts. Photo courtesy of Meaghan Anderson.
green copperleaf plants nestled under corn residue
Mature Asian copperleaf plants in stark contrast to the surrounding corn residue following harvest. This is a key way many farmers first identify Asian copperleaf. Photo courtesy of Meaghan Anderson.
Authored by:
Meaghan Anderson
Meaghan Anderson
  • Field Agronomist in Central Iowa
Meaghan Anderson is a field agronomist serving nine counties in central Iowa and an extension specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Areas of expertise include weed management, weed biology, cover crops, corn and soybean management, and integrated pest management.

Meaghan holds a bachelor's degree in agronomy and a master's degree in crop production and physiology (focus: weed science) from Iowa State University.
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