PLANT PRIMER
Copperhead copper leaf (Acalypha wilkesiana ‘Copperhead') is beautiful tropical foliage.
The multi-stemmed shrub grows on warm, tropical islands. The leaves are large and heart-shaped, with serrated edges. New foliage emerges in shades of copper and matures to spectacular bronzes, reds, pinks and splashes of green. The foliage colors will intensify as the summer progresses.
Copperhead's flowers are not noteworthy, so it is grown for the foliage display.
Copperhead copper leaf makes a nice “thriller” in mixed container gardens. Grow it with a fine-textured plant (for example, asparagus fern or ornamental grasses) to showcase the coarse texture and brilliant colors.
The plant is heat tolerant and thrives in well-draining, compost-rich soils.
See Copperhead copper leaf growing in the Pacific Island Water Garden biome at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
— Barbara Arnold
Franklin Park Conservatory