Overview
Fatoua villosa is an upright, hairy annual 4-32 inches (10-80 cm) tall, native to eastern Asia and Australia and now a widespread weed in nurseries, gardens, and disturbed ground across the southeastern United States and beyond. The alternate leaves are triangular to oval with toothed margins and a long-tapered tip, resembling small mulberry leaves, on hairy stalks. Tiny flowers gather in dense, stalked clusters in the leaf axils, pale green to purplish and individually inconspicuous. The plant matures and sets seed within weeks of germinating, and ripe fruits expel seeds explosively a short distance, spreading it quickly between pots and beds. Several generations can occur in a single warm season. It grows in shade or sun on moist, fertile soil, especially in container nurseries and irrigated beds, where it behaves as a persistent weed. The plant dies with frost and survives winter only as seed, persisting in cultivated ground through its abundant, fast-germinating seed.
Native Range
Native to eastern Asia and Australia, and widely naturalized across the southeastern United States and other warm-temperate regions, growing in nurseries, gardens, greenhouses, and moist disturbed ground.Suggested Uses
Encountered mainly as a weed of nurseries, gardens, and irrigated ground rather than as a planted species. It appears among container stock and in moist beds. Its rapid seeding restricts any deliberate garden role.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 2'8"
Width/Spread4" - 1'4"
Bloom Information
Inconspicuous flower clusters form in the leaf axils through the warm months, roughly June through October. The tiny green to purplish flowers are easily overlooked and quickly give way to fruit. Ripe fruits eject seeds explosively a short distance, scattering them around the parent plant.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
Green to purplishFoliage Description
GreenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 2-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs