Acalypha lyonsii

Acalypha lyonsii, commonly known as Lyon's acalypha is a shrub in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae that is only found in the vicinity of Cairns, Queensland, Australia.

Description
Acalypha lyonsii is a shrub up to 4 m tall. The leaves are arranged alternately on the twigs and measure up to 45 mm long by 25 mm wide. They have rounded teeth on the margins and 4 or 5 lateral veins either side of the midrib. Flowers are produced from the - male flowers are less than 1 mm long and carried on a spike, female flowers are solitary, about 3 mm diameter and subtended by a much larger bract. The fruit is a 3-lobed capsule about 2 mm long and 4 mm wide.

Taxonomy
This species was described in 1994 by the Queensland botanist Paul Irwin Forster based on material collected by Christopher Lyons in 1992 on the Lamb Range southwest of Cairns. The species is named after him.

Distribution and habitat
Acalypha lyonsii grows as an understorey plant in rainforest near Cairns, at altitudes from sea level to about 200 m.

Conservation
This species is listed by the Queensland Government's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation as vulnerable. , it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).