Lesser Joyweed
Alternanthera denticulata
Trailing herb with stems to 50 cm. Almost hairless leaves are oblong and up to 6 cm long with bluntly pointed tips. Round or oblong spikes of flowers to 8 mm long occur in the joint of the stem and leaf (axil). Bracts surrounding the flowers are 2 to 3.5 mm long and less than 1 mm wide and are papery, white or pinkish and hairless. Flattened broadly heart-shaped fruit to 1 mm long does not open to release seeds (indehiscent).
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Flora Type | Herbs |
| Distinctive Features | Alternate leaves and dense clusters of flowers in leaf axils. Spreads vegetatively by rooting at the nodes. The gap between each node is >2.5 cm. |
| Biology | Annual or perennial. Moist lowland areas, margins of swamps and rivers. |
| Native Status | Introduced |
| Flowering Time | Oct-Feb |
| Taxonomy | |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants) |
| Class | Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants) |
| Order | Caryophyllales |
| Family | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus | Alternanthera |
| Species | denticulata |
Cakes were made by Aboriginal people from seeds of several Alternanthera species.
| Interesting Facts | |
|---|---|
| Similar Species | Plains Joyweed is an undescribed species in northern Vic on heavy clay soils of the Riverina and Keilor Plains. All the floral parts are longer and thinner than Lesser Joyweed. |
| Native Status | Introduced |