Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.

 
  • Family : AMARANTHACEAE
    (Amaranth Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : GARUNDI FAMILY (गरूण्डी फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Amaranthaceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.
  • Common name : Aligator Weed
  • Habit : Herb
  • Comments / notes : Common on the margins of water bodies and marshy places, shallow water pools, ditches.
  • Key identification features : A small herb to 30-50 cm. with hallow stems and branches. Leaves are simple, alternate, sessile and spoon-shaped. Flowers are aggregated into head-like clusters on a long inflorescence axis. Floral lobes are shiny-white. Anthers and stigmas are yellow.
  • Flower, Fruit : May-November
  • Collector(s) Name : Chikkasetty
  • Collection Nos : KFP 12316
  • Collection Locality : Bangalore
  • Distribution :
    • Karnataka : Hassan district
    • Kerala : Kannur district, Wayanad district, Kozhikode district, Malappuram district, Thrissur district, Ernakulam district, Alappuzha district
    • Tamil Nadu : Tamil Nadu
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Saldanha & Nicolson, 1976 - Flora of Hassan district, Karnataka
    • Cecil J. Saldanha, S. R. Ramesh (1984). Flora of Karnataka State vol. 1. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co, New Delhi
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Alternanthera philoxeroides
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Alternanthera philoxeroides. Downloaded on 17 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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