Alternanthera philoxeroides |
Alternanthera ficoidea |
|
---|---|---|
alligator weed, pig weed |
sanguina rea, sanguinaria |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, aquatic to semiterrestrial, stoloniferous, to 50 dm. | |
Stems | prostrate, forming mats, often fistulose, glabrous. |
|
Leaves | sessile; blade narrowly elliptic, elliptic, or oblanceolate, 3.5–7.1 × 0.5–2 cm, herbaceous, apex acute to obtuse, glabrous. |
|
Inflorescences | terminal and axillary, pedunculate; heads white, globose, 1.4–1.7 cm diam.; bracts not keeled, less than 1/2 as long as tepals. |
|
Flowers | tepals monomorphic, white, lanceolate or oblong, 6 mm, apex acute, glabrous; stamens 5; pseudostaminodes ligulate. |
|
Seeds | not seen. |
|
Utricles | not seen. |
|
Alternanthera philoxeroides |
Alternanthera ficoidea |
|
Phenology | Flowering early spring–summer. | |
Habitat | Ponds, ditches, streams, bayous | |
Elevation | 0-200 m (0-700 ft) | |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MS; NC; SC; TN; TX; VA; West Indies; native to South America [Introduced in North America]
|
FL; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies |
Discussion | Alternanthera philoxerioides is said to reproduce only vegetatively in North America. I have seen no fruit or seed. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Varieties 3 (1 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 4, p. 448. | FNA vol. 4, p. 449. |
Parent taxa | Amaranthaceae > Alternanthera | Amaranthaceae > Alternanthera |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | Bucholzia philoxeroides, Achyranthes philoxeroides | Gomphrena ficoidea |
Name authority | (Martius) Grisebach: Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 24: 36. (1879) | (Linnaeus) Palisot de Beauvois: Fl. Oware 2: 66. (1818) |
Web links |