| Dicotyledon | Literature for Alternanthera caracasana
Wagner et al., 1990, 1999. |
| Amaranthaceae -- The Amaranth, Goosefoot Family | Bibliography |
| Alternanthera caracasana | |
Common name(s): chaff flower, mat chaff flower |
| General Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Distribution | Native to Africa, the Canary Islands, and the Western Hemisphere.In the Hawaiian Islands, naturalized on Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i, Maui, Kaho`olawe. | |
| Habit |
Perennial herbs; stems prostrate, sometimes rooting at the nodes, 1-5 dm long, moderately to densely pilose, the hairs multicellular. |
|
| Leaves |
Leaves oblanceolate to obovate or suborbicular, (0.8-)1.5-2(-3) cm long, 0.5-1.2 cm wide, sparsely pilose, petioles 0.3-1.5 cm long, moderately pilose. |
|
| Flowers |
Flowers in sessile, densely pubescent spikes, bract 3-4 mm long, tipped with a spine ca. 0.5-0.7 mm long, bracteoles ca. 3 mm long, acuminate, bract and bracteoles densely pilose at least below; sepals unequal, the 2 abaxial ones 3.5-4.2 mm long, spine tipped, the spine less than 1 mm long, other sepals spineless, the adaxial one ca. 3 mm long, the 2 inner ones 2-2.5 mm long, all sepals pilose, the adaxial one only at base; stamens 5, all fertile. |
|
| Fruit |
Utricles 1-1.5 mm long, enclosed by the sepals. |
|
