Is the chenile plant a native of Hawaii? It's a green plant with long red blooms.

-- karyn williams (memstaz@webtv.net), May 19, 1999

Answers

Chenille Plant Acalypha hispida

Tropical shrub native to the East Indies; Blooms are long velvety tails of dark red up to eighteen inches which resemble chenille ( a velvety cord of silk or worsted, used in embroidery or fringe ) for which it is named. Staminate flowers ( fuzzy ), no petals; leaves are dark green, veined, rounded and pointed.

-- Roy Inouye (roy@bothi.com), May 20, 1999.

The red cat tail in our local botanic garden lists it as a native of malaysia.

-- ky (kmcmanus@powerserve.com.au), June 25, 2001.

Does anybdy know where I can buy a housplant version of the chenile plant? I had one once, but my babysitter killed it.

-- Alice Erskine (erskine@smccd.net), December 31, 2004.