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Alternanthera denticulata
Lesser joyweed is a small prostrate to erect herb that roots at its nodes and forms mats in damp places. It grows best in moist soil or shallow water margins, so keep the soil consistently wet.
Alternanthera denticulata (common name lesser joyweed) is a small prostrate white-flowering herb in the Amaranthaceae family. It is native to all states and territories of Australia, New Guinea, and the North Island of New Zealand. It is also one of the food plants of the varied eggfly, Hypolimnas bolina nerina.
The species was first described in 1810 by Robert Brown.
In Western Australia, it grows on both sand and clay soils, on the banks of creeks, rivers and swamps, flowering from April to August. On the North Island of New Zealand, it is found on coastal and lowland wetlands, lake margins and other damp ground, flowering from January to December.
Narrow Leaf Joyweed · Alternanthera areschougii · Calico Plant · Alternanthera brasiliana var. villosa · Brazilian joyweed · Washerwoman · Alternanthera corymbiformis · Sea Urchin Joyweed · Sanguinaria · Three-leafed chaff flower · Alternanthera flavicoma · Alternanthera galapagensis
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alternanthera denticulata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
