Code
ALRSE
Growth form
Broadleaf
Biological cycle
Annual to vivacious
Habitat
terrestrial
synonym | Achyranthes linearifolia Sw. ex Wikstr. |
synonym | Achyranthes sessilis (L.) Besser |
synonym | Achyranthes triandra Roxb. |
synonym | Achyranthes villosa Blanco |
synonym | Allaganthera forsskaolei Mart. |
synonym | Alternanthera achyranthes Forssk. |
synonym | Alternanthera achyranthoides Forssk. |
synonym | Alternanthera achyranthoides Hiern |
synonym | Alternanthera angustifolia R.Br. |
synonym | Alternanthera angustifolia var. lanata Benth. |
synonym | Alternanthera angustifolia var. macrocephala Domin |
synonym | Alternanthera angustifolia var. typica Domin |
synonym | Alternanthera denticulata R.Br. |
synonym | Alternanthera denticulata var. major Moq. |
synonym | Alternanthera denticulata var. micrantha Benth. |
synonym | Alternanthera denticulata var. uliginosa Domin |
synonym | Alternanthera dubia Moq. [Illegitimate] |
synonym | Alternanthera ficoides P.Beauv. |
synonym | Alternanthera ficoides var. minor P.Beauv. |
synonym | Alternanthera ficoides var. versicolor Lem. |
synonym | Alternanthera glabra Moq. |
synonym | Alternanthera major (Benth.) Domin |
synonym | Alternanthera micrantha (Benth.) Domin [Illegitimate] |
synonym | Alternanthera nana R.Br. |
synonym | Alternanthera nana var. major Benth. |
synonym | Alternanthera nodiflora R.Br. |
synonym | Alternanthera nodiflora var. lanceolata Moq. |
synonym | Alternanthera nodiflora var. linearifolia Moq. |
synonym | Alternanthera polygonoides (L.) R.Br. ex Sweet |
synonym | Alternanthera polygonoides (L.) R.Br. ex Sweet |
synonym | Alternanthera prostrata D.Don |
synonym | Alternanthera repens J.F.Gmel. |
synonym | Alternanthera sennii Mattei |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis f. lanceolata Kuntze |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis f. spathulifolia Kuntze |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis var. angustifolia Moq. |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis var. denticulata (R.Br.) Kuntze |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis var. major Moq. |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis var. neglecta Kuntze |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis var. nodiflora (R.Br.) Kuntze |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis var. nodiflora (R.Br.) Kuntze |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis var. parviflora Kuntze |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis var. stauntonii Moq. |
synonym | Alternanthera sessilis var. tenuissima (Suess.) Backer |
synonym | Alternanthera sibirica (De Vest ex Roem. & Schult.) Steud. |
synonym | Alternanthera tenella Moq. [Illegitimate] |
synonym | Alternanthera tenuissima Suess. |
synonym | Alternanthera triandra Lam. [Illegitimate] |
synonym | Alternanthera triandra var. denticulata (R.Br.) Maiden & Betche |
synonym | Alternanthera triandra var. nodiflora (R.Br.) Maiden & Betche |
synonym | Alternanthera uliginosa (Domin) Dinter |
synonym | Gomphrena brasiliensis Moq. [Invalid] |
synonym | Gomphrena polygonoides L. |
synonym | Gomphrena sessilis L. |
synonym | Illecebrum sessile (L.) L. |
synonym | Paronychia sessilis (L.) Desf. |
synonym | Telanthera polygonoides (L.) Moq. |
Chinese |
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Comorian |
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Creoles and pidgins; French-based |
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English |
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French |
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Hindi |
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Indonesian |
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Malagasy |
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Other |
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Spanish; Castilian |
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Global description
Alternanthera sessilis is a highly branched herbaceous plant common in cultures and ruderal places, in moist soil preferably, but also in dry environments as in flooded areas. Its general appearance varies greatly, depending on the environment. It is a small plant with slender stems in dry environments, it is a creeping, prostrate plant, with erect stems in humid areas and a tall plant in aquifers with flooded areas. The stem is 30 cm to 1 m in length, striated and becoming hollow in flooded areas. Roots emerge at the nodes, at the points of contact with the ground or when the plant is floating. It is generally glabrous. The leaves are simple and opposite, sub sessile, glabrous or nearly. The blade is of very variable shape, and is generally rather narrow and elongated, and lanceolate. The inflorescences, isolated or grouped in globose or ovoid clusters are whitish sessile glomeruli, not spiny, and inserted into the base of the leaves.
General habit
Alternanthera sessilis is a highly branched plant with a highly variable size, depending on the degree of humidity of the environment: in dry areas, it is erect and can reach 30 cm long; in humid areas, it is prostrate and then erect, with stems up to 10 cm to 1 m. In flooded areas, it is floating and reaches several meters long.
Underground system
The principal root is a taproot. Adventitious roots arise at the nodes in contact with the ground when the plant is prostrate. In aquatic environments, the nodes emit beams of long white roots
Stem
The stem is cylindrical and extensively branched; it becomes hollow in flooded situation. It is striated, as well as the branches. It is rigid and fine in dry environments, it can measure 1 cm in diameter in aquatic environment where it is long and floating. It is glabrous, with the exception of two narrow and opposite bands with whitish hairs on the erect parts and tufts of white hairs at the level of the nodes.
Leaf
The leaves are simple, opposite and decussate with leaf blade generally of the same size. The petiole, slightly distinct, is short (1.5 mm) or even absent. The leaf blade is narrow and elongated and is very variable in shape and size. It is oblanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acute to obtuse, shortly acuminate, base angled to attenuate, from 1 to 12 cm long for 0.25 to 3 cm wide. It is glabrous or nearly so, some with very sparse hairs and which are mostly found on the underside on the midrib.
Inflorescence
The sessile inflorescences are in axillary position and are isolated or grouped (up to 5). They are subglobose, they measure between 5 and 7 mm in diameter and are white.
Flower
Each flower is subtended by a scabrous, white, and oval with pointed tip bract , 0.75-1 mm long and 2 bracteoles similar to the bracts. The perianth consists of tepals which are equal, ovate-elliptic, pointed at the top, 1.5 to 2.5 mm long, white, hairless, clearly mucronate and with a slightly denticulate margin. The 5 stamens (Including 2 without anther) are alternate with the pseudostaminodes similar to the filaments, but generally a little smaller. At maturity, they equal the ovary and style. The sub-orbicular ovary, is compressed with short style.
Fruit
The fruit is an obcordate to orbicular-obcordate utricle, 2 to 3 mm long, dark brown with paler edge. It falls together with the tepals.
Seed
The seed is lenticular, 0.5 to 1 mm in diameter, glossy brown seed coat, slightly reticulate.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
China: Alternanthera sessilis flowers and fruits from May to July.
Mayotte: Alternanthera sessilis flowers and fruits all year round.
Nicaragua: Alternanthera sessilis flowers and fruits all year round.
West Indies: Alternanthera sessilis flowers and fruits all year round.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Alternanthera sessilis is a herbaceous plant that can be annual or perennial depending on the humidity of the environment. In lowland conditions or in irrigated rice fields, it is most often a perennial. Dissemination by seed or vegetative propagation by cuttings of stem fragments. The fruits are myrmecophilous.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
A. sessilis can be confused with A. philoxeroides, the latter species is distinguished by its inflorescences which is also a white globose spikelet, but is held by a 1-9 cm long peduncle.
A. pungens | A. sessillis | A. philoxeroides | |
Ecology | Dewatered soil | Very moist soil | Wetlands borders |
Growth habit of the plant | Creeping | erect | erect |
Inflorescence (Insertion) | Sessile | Sessile | Stalked |
Inflorescence (appearance) | Spiny | Non-Spiny | Non-spiny |
Inflorescene(size) | 10 – 15 mm | 5 – 7 mm | 10 – 15 mm |
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Alternanthera sessilis prefers moist soils, along ditches, fallow land. The plant grows in moist soils of the lakes, swamps, irrigation canals and rice paddies dams and navigation channels, up to 1200 m altitude.
Central Africa: Alternanthera sessilis is a widely naturalized exotic species, cosmopolitan and very common, sometimes aquatic or palustrine (riverbanks, ponds, ditches, Echinochloa marshes), sometimes terrestrial on banks and sandy islets (exundated river islets) or anthropophilous: roadsides, villages, crops, rubble.
China: Alternanthera sessilis grows on roadsides, in gardens and swamps.
Comoros: This species occurs in ruderal areas, along roadsides, in settlements up to the forest of average altitude.
French Guiana: Species rather present in vegetable zone at the edge of the fields, it develops well in wetlands and in places rich in nitrogen. It is frequent in the ruderal vegetation of wetlands.
Madagascar: This species prefers hydromorphic and relatively rich moist alluvial soils in conditions more or less shaded, in all climatic zones of Madagascar: edges of canals, marshes and roads. It is also a weed of vegetable crops, taro and rice lowland and upland rice on moist soil, in semi-intensive culture system with organic manure.
Mauritius: It occupies very often, but not exclusively, humid sites, at the edge of streams, lakes and swamp especially under moist and wet areas.
Mayotte: Rather common species in the wetlands and on the hydromorphic grounds, especially in the back mangroves, but also in degraded environments.
Nicaragua: Alternanthera sessilis is a very common species, in disturbed sites, in all parts of the country; from 0 to 750 m altitude.
Thailand: Weed on marshy land, also along paths, around villages, etc.; up to 1000 m altitude or more.
West Indies: Alternanthera sessilis is a ruderal species that grows on moist soil, from 0 to 300 m (500m) altitude.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
Origin
Alternanthera sessilis is native to Central America, the Caribbean, South America and Asia-Oceania (from the Arabian Peninsula to Australia)
Worldwide distribution
A pantropical species widespread in America, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, India, Pakistan, China, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Pacific Islands and the Indian Ocean. It is also present in Europe (Spain).
Attributions | dummy |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
Global harmfulness
Sometimes noxious.
Local harmfulness
Burkina Faso: Alternanthera sessilis is frequent and scarce.
Comoros: A. sessilis is found in association with other weeds in crops, found moderately common in fallow fields and the old cultures of banana, cassava and vanilliers.
Côte d'Ivoire: frequent and scarce.
Ghana: rare and scarce.
French Guiana: A rarely problematic weed, it does however have vigorous taproots that can complicate manual weeding. It is locally abundant.
Madagascar: Weed common crops in low-lying areas but generally little abundant and associated with other species creeping or not. This rampant species can form a dense population difficult to remove if the weeding is too late. The very moist soil in which it grows makes it difficult to manage with small hand tools. A. sessilis can be troublesome in vegetable crops invading plots from poorly cleaned borders.
Mauritius: It can become a significant weed in some vegetable crops and rice paddies with a low average aggressive. On the contrary, it is quite rare in sugar cane where it is weakly aggressive.
Nigeria: rare and scarce.
Senegal: rare but abundant when it is present.
Chad: rare and scarce.
Tanzania: Frequent but not abundant.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Food: The young stems and leaves of Alternanthera sessilis are eaten as a green vegetable.
Medicinal: An infusion of the whole plant is used in Indonesia as a remedy against intestinal pain, diarrhea, dysentery, and externally to treat wounds or against inflammation and to decrease fever. A. sessilis is used in local medicine in Taiwan, often mixed with other medicinal plants, to treat hepatitis, chest angina, bronchitis, asthma and lung problems, to stop bleeding and as capillary stimulating agent. It is also used locally in India against dysentery, as cholagogue, abortive and to treat snake bites, burns and boils and in Thailand and Sri Lanka, as galactogen. Traditional uses as anti-inflammatory and to treat wounds are proven by the anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperglycemic activities of the extracts of aerial parts of the plant. In Comoros it is used externally against skin diseases.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
For advice on weed control of irrigated and lowland rice in Africa, visit :
For advice on weeding perennial broadleaf weed of irrigated and lowland rice in Africa, please visit
For advice on weeding perennial broadleaf weed of irrigated and lowland rice in Africa, please visit
Biological control: Zettler and Freeman (1972) in their discussion on the biocontrol of aquatic plants, state that in India, Alternanthera sessilis a near relative of alligator weed, is affected by the fungial species Corticium solani, Colletotrichum capsici, Glomerella cingulata, Phoma spp., and Albugo bliti.
Chemical: Amitrole is very effective. Reasonably effective are 2,4-D for broadleaved weeds (1-1.5 kg a.i./ha in 200 liters of water) and MCPA (0.5-1 kg a.i./ha in 200 liters of water), but repeated applications are necessary.
Local control
Comoros: Alternanthera sessilis is a weed easy to pull off, weeding is done manually.
Madagascar: Control can be achieved by good soil preparation and manual grubbing or manual tillage with angady for taro crops in the uplands of the Highlands. In cropping systems based on rainfed rice, vegetable crops and taro, the plots are generally very small and the very different crops are side by side making it difficult to use post-emergence herbicides such as 2 , 4-D.
Mauritius: It is effectively controlled by post-emergent herbicide mixtures recommended in sugar cane. It must be removed manually or by weeding in other crops.
Attributions | dummy |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY_SA |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Alternanthera%2520sessilis
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Caryophyllales |
Family | Amaranthaceae |
Genus | Alternanthera |
Species | Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R. Br. ex DC. |