2335.000 Alternanthera Forssk.

Description of the genus

Annual or perennial herbs with entire, opposite leaves. Inflorescences of axillary heads or short spikes, bracteate. Flowers bisexual, solitary in the axil of each bract, subtended by 2 bracteoles. Tepals 5, glabrous and 1-nerved or barbed-pilose and 3-nerved, free, equal or unequal. Stamens 2-5, alternating with pseudostaminodes. Fruit an indehiscent capsule.

Derivation of name: alterno meaning alternate, anthera meaning male flowers, referring to the alternation of stamens and pseudostaminodes.

Worldwide: c. 200 species, mainly in the New World tropics; some worldwide weeds

Malawi: 4 taxa.

Links to taxa: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

Species	FZ divisions	Content
caracasana Kunth	N,C	Description, Image
nodiflora R. Br.	N,S	Description, Image
pungens Kunth	S	Description, Image
sessilis (L.) DC.	N,C,S	Description, Image

Other sources of information about Alternanthera:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Alternanthera
Flora of Caprivi: Alternanthera
Flora of Malawi: cultivated Alternanthera
Flora of Mozambique: Alternanthera
Flora of Zambia: Alternanthera
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Alternanthera
Flora of Zimbabwe: Alternanthera
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Alternanthera

External websites:

ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Alternanthera
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Alternanthera
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Alternanthera
Wikipedia: Alternanthera
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Alternanthera
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Alternanthera