Chenille Foxtail Hanging Basket

This member of the spurge family is named for the French word for caterpillar, chenille, and will provide textural interest and crimson accents in your sunny flower garden and bouquets. The genus acalypha is one of the members of the Euphorbiaceae family, which is a treasure trove of ornamental plants for the flower gardener: think poinsettia, croton, and castor bean, among others.

The foliage of the chenille plant is unremarkable, but whoa, those fuzzy red flowers! The anatomy of the flower itself is just a row of pistils, but the fuzzy catkins provide tactile enjoyment for all ages. Flowers can look like plump fuzz balls, eventually turning downright pendulous, with lengths of 18 inches not unheard of.

Botanical name: Ascalypha hispida
Common name: Chenille flower, Monkey Tail, Red-Hot Cat Tail
Plant type: Evergreen plant; seasonal annual and/or houseplant
Mature size: 8 to 15 fifteen feet tall in tropical climates; in containers, two to three feet tall and one foot wide
Sun exposure: Full sun outdoors, indoors high levels of light
Soil type: Sand, clay, loam
Soil pH: 5 to 7.5
Bloom time: Spring
Flower color: Red
Hardiness zones: 9 to 10