| General Information |
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| Distribution | A genus of about 80 species from tropical and subtropical regions, centering in the New World.
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Habit
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Annual or perennial herbs; stems prostrate to ascending, sometimes rooting at the nodes.
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Leaves
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Leaves opposite, short-petiolate or subsessile.
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Flowers
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Inflorescences an axillary, headlike spike, each flower subtended by a bract and 2 bracteoles; sepals 5; stamens 5, sometimes not all fertile, pseudostaminodes minute; anthers monothecal; stigma 1, capitate.
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Fruit
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Fruit an indehiscent flattened utricle.
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Seeds
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Seeds lenticular.
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Notes
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The name is derived from the Latin alternus, alternate, and anthera, anthers, referring to the alternate stamens and staminodia.
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Contributor
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Nancy Khan
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