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Alternanthera philoxeroides
Also called Alligator weed, Helencha
Alligatorweed is a sprawling, hollow-stemmed subshrub that grows in water, on wet ground or in dry soil, and spreads by floating stolons that can form dense mats. It is a serious invasive weed in many countries, so it is usually grown outdoors or in ponds only where it is legal and contained.
Alternanthera philoxeroides, commonly referred to as alligator weed, is a native species to the temperate regions of South America, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Argentina alone hosts around 27 species that fall within the range of the genus Alternanthera. Its geographic range once covered only the Parana River region of South America, but it has since expanded, having been introduced to over 30 countries, such as the United States, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand and many more. This invasive species is believed to have been accidentally introduced to these non-native regions through sediments trapped by, or attached to, tanks and cargo of ships travelling from South America to these various areas.
Calico Plant · Alternanthera brasiliana var. villosa · Brazilian joyweed · Sanguinaria · Alternanthera helleri · Scarlet Temple · Sessile joyweed
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alternanthera philoxeroides 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.
