Alternanthera paronychioides A.St.-Hil., Voy. Distr. Diam. 2(2): 43 1833. (Syn: Achyranthes chacoensis (Morong) Standl.; Achyranthes paronychioides Schinz [Invalid]; Alternanthera achyrantha var. angustifolia Mart. ex Moq.; Alternanthera amoena Back. & Sloot.; Alternanthera austrotrinidadis (Suess.) Pedersen; Alternanthera ficoidea (L.) R. Br. .; Alternanthera leucantha Moq.; Alternanthera paronychioides var. amazonica Huber ...; Alternanthera polygonoides var. austrotrinitatis Suess. .......; Alternanthera virgata Spreng. ex Moq.; Bucholzia polygonoides (L.) Mart. .; Telanthera arenaria Casar. ex Seub. (Unresolved); Telanthera polygonoides var. brachiata Moq.; Telanthera polygonoides var. diffusa Moq.; Teleianthera manillensis Walp.);
Smooth Chaff Flower; Soft-stemmed prostrate perennial herb, hairy, later glabrescent; leaves elliptic, ovate-rhombic to spatulate, up to 2 cm long, hairy beneath; flower greenish-white in axillary sessile heads about 1 cm in diam; bracts less than half as long as tepals ; tepals similar, white, ovate-oblong, 3-5 mm long, acuminate, outer 3 3-veined, inner 2 1-veined; pseudostaminodes shorter than stamens, 3-4-toothed; utricle obcordate, brown. Prostrate herb often confused with A. pungens from which its is very distinct in soft nearly fleshy branches, white-villous when young; leaves soft, covered with long hairs when young, mostly shorter than 2 cm, less than half as broad as long, lanceolate to elliptic-ovate; inflorescence nearly 5 mm across, tepals white, subequal without spiny tips.
A. paronychoides is a soft stemmed plant of wet grounds, often found along banks of drains, streams and river banks. It is totally creeping and rooting herb;
Alternanther paonychoides is, a much different plant, with delicate, smooth, creeping stems, and much smaller leaves; Prostrate herbs, stem sparsely covered with crisped hairs. Leaves to 3 x 0.7 cm, oblanceolate to spathulate, apex acute, glabrous. Spike 5 x 3 mm, solitary, axillary, few-flowered, sessile; bracts and bracteoles similar, 1.5 mm long, hyaline, apiculate. Flowers densely packed; tepals 5, outer three larger, 2.5 x 1 mm, ovate, acute, inner smaller, all hairy; stamens 3-5; ovary obovoid, compressed, stigma bilobed. Flowering and fruiting: June-August Along lake beds when water recedes, also in wastelands Native of Tropical America, getting established in Tropical Asia Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi)
Alternanthera paronychioides from Delhi: Alternanthera paronychioides St. Hil., Voy. Distr. Diamans Bresil. 2:439. 1833 Prostrate herb often confused with A. pungens from which its is very distinct in soft nearly fleshy branches, white-villous when young; leaves soft, covered with long hairs when young, mostly shorter than 2 cm, less than half as broad as long, lanceolate to elliptic-ovate; inflorescence nearly 5 mm across, tepals white, subequal without spiny tips. The plant is characteristic of frequently inundated habitats. Photographed from banks of Yamuna river in Wazirabad, Delhi. in July, 2009. This plant from Hyderabad by .... has been wrongly labelled as A. pungens at FOI website.
For Id 230708JM2: In the wet bed of Himmat Sagar Lake in Hyderabad, AP on 20/7/08. I think you have taken pictures of Dark Grass Blue on Alternanthera paronychioides. The flowers of this exotic weed can be used in greeting card after being pressed and dried. Thanks, ..., for Id help. Here are a few links for pictures & details of Alternanthera paronychioides (Smooth Chaff-flower): http://picasaweb.google.com/cheungwaito/dAVHUF/photo#5117468470969141410 http://89sky.net/vbb/showthread.php?p=11624 http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_dfd3.html After further checking the description of Alternanthera paronychioides given at http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=600&taxon_id=242412161 with my pictures & pictures of Alternanthera paronychioides at http://89sky.net/vbb/showthread.php?p=11624, I feel my species is not Alternanthera paronychioides. It quite matches up with Alternanthera sessilis, posted earlier at Indiantreepix link. Here is the Wikipedia link for Alternanthera sessilis. Experts may pl. confirm.
A.sessilis has linear leaves whereas your plant has orbicular or obovate leaves. The plant is A. pungens which is a native of Central America, naturalised in India. Another difference (you can see through a lens) between the 2 species is that the latter has spinescent heads and the tepals are dissimilar which is not so with A. sessilis. My book gives picture of A. sessilis which differs from yours. I do have a picture of A. pungens which tallies with yours. Here are a few good links with details & pictures of Khaki weed (Alternanthera pungens): http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/alternanthera_pungens.htm & http://www.hear.org/Pier/species/alternanthera_pungens.htm Here are a few good links with details & pictures of Khaki weed (Alternanthera pungens): http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/alternanthera_pungens.htm & http://www.hear.org/Pier/species/alternanthera_pungens.htm This plant from Hyderabad by ... as per feedback in the thread has been wrongly labelled as A. pungens at FOI website. It doesn't look like A. pungens. It may be Alternanthera paronychioides. Yes surely Alternanthera paronychioides
Alternanthera again from Hooghly 13/11/12 sk2: Found this Alternanthera in a wet field, this morning. Species : Alternanthera paronychioides A.St.-Hil. ? H & H : prostrate herb, part semi erect, in a moist field Date : 13/11/12, 10.30 a.m. Place : Hooghly A. philoxeroides has flowers in heads on axillary long peduncles This is typical A. paronychoides Thank you very much for introducing me to two more Alternanthera. I remember the discussion in my previous post.
Alternanthera paronychioides A. St-Hill, Voy. Distr. Diam. 2: 439. 1833. Common name: Smooth joyweed Soft-stemmed prostrate perennial herb, hairy, later glabrescent; leaves elliptic, ovate-rhombic to spatulate, up to 2 cm long, hairy beneath; flower greenish-white in axillary sessile heads about 1 cm in diam; bracts less than half as long as tepals ; tepals similar, white, ovate-oblong, 3-5 mm long, acuminate, outer 3 3-veined, inner 2 1-veined; pseudostaminodes shorter than stamens, 3-4-toothed; utricle obcordate, brown. Photographed from Delhi. Now wondering whether have neglected it considering it to be stunted growth of common Alternanthera. I do not know if it is distributed in Konkan / Western Ghats.
Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae Week : sk-13 : Alternanthera paronychioides A.St.-Hil.: This is Alternanthera paronychioides A.St.-Hil., previously identified in efi thread. Yes ... Excellent photographs. Thank you very much Sir, once again. I remember my blind arguments regarding the ID of another Alternanthera, last year.
Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae Week :: Alternanthera paronychioides Pune SMP5: Alternanthera paronychioides Please validate. Prostrate herb observed near the banks of a lake near Pune Yes ... Thanks for upload.
Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae Week : sk-03 : Alternanthera sp.: I am not sure of the ID of this species and i found it on the margin of agri-land, a mat forming prostrate herb. I think, based upon the keys at - https://groups.google.com/d/topic/indiantreepix/6LYsGV33bi8/discussion, this species is also Alternanthera paronychioides A.St.-Hil. Alternanthera paronychioides A. St.-Hil. = Alternanthera ficoidea (L.) P. Beauv. as per GRIN : 5 posts by 1 author. Alternanthera paronychioides A. St.-Hil. = Alternanthera ficoidea (L.) P. Beauv. as per GRIN updated in 2013. Should we follow the same ? FLOWERING PLANTS OF INDIA, DICOTYLEDONS, Vol-I (Acanthaceae-Avicenniaceae) authored by S. Karthikeyan, M. Sanjappa and S. Moorthy and published by BSI, Kolkata in 2009 also does not mention it (Alternanthera paronychioides A. St.-Hil.). Pl. see Alternanthera. Yes, Karthikeyan et al.(2009) does not mention A. paronychioides A. St.-Hil. as they consider it a synonym of A. polygonoides R.Br. ex Sweet, which itself is mentioned as synonym of A. sessilis (L.) R.Br. ex DC. by The Plant List. Thus A. paronychioides A. St.-Hil. and A. polygonoides R.Br. ex Sweet becomes synonyms of A. sessilis (L.) R.Br. ex DC. But again Plant List considers A.paronychioides A. St.-Hil. as a distinct species with a specimen in Herbarium catalogue of Kew: (http://apps.kew.org/herbcat/getImage.do?imageBarcode=K000583029) which resembles to a species growing in India and identified as A. paronychioides A. St.-Hil. (particularly in Uttarakhand). I feel that A. paronychioides A. St.-Hil. and A. ficoidea (L.) Sm. are two different species. However, ... Sir may have a better idea of it. May we have your views in the matter pl. I feel the two are too distinct to be merged. The specimens that I have collected/photographed leave no confusion. Thanks, ... I will follow accordingly at efi site.
Herb ID from Bangladesh SM062 : 5 posts by 5 authors. Attachments (1). Habit: Herb Habitat: Wild Location: Jessore Flowering: March Amaranthaceae, may be any Alternanthera sp. May be alternanthera pungens??? Efi page on Alternanthera pungens Alternanthera- species in India & eFI with details & some keys I think it is Alternanthera paronychioides A.St.-Hil. References:
efi thread The Plant List Ver.1.1 Flora of China Flora of Pakistan Annotated checklist of Flowering plants of Nepal USDA GRIN (Alternanthera paronychioides A. St.-Hil. Synonym of Alternanthera ficoidea (L.) P. Beauv.) Flowers of India India Biodiversity Portal Wikimedia Commons |
# Species- Seed plants (families) > A---L (families & genera) > A > Amaranthaceae > Alternanthera >
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