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The Siamese acalypha (Acalypha siamensis) belongs to Euphorbiaceae (the Spurge family). It is an evergreen shrub that is distributed from Southeast Asia to Hainan Island in southern China. It grows in dry evergreen forests, mixed forests, or shrublands, reaching a height of 1 to 2 m. The leaves are rhombic or ovate-rhombic, papery in texture, and have serrated margins. From June to August, it produces slender racemes in the leaf axils. Male flowers are borne at the top of the raceme, while 2 to 3 female flowers are borne at the base. The fruit is a capsule covered by a long appendage. This plant is collected from the wild and used locally as tea and medicine. It is called "菱葉鉄莧菜" (ling ye tie xian cai) in Chinese.
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