Description

These are annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs. While some of the better known species are aquatic plants, most are terrestrial.They take many forms, from prostrate to erect to floating. The leaves are oppositely arranged. The inflorescence is a spike or a rounded head occurring in the leaf axils or the ends of branches. The flowers have 5 tepals. There are 3 to 5 stamens which are fused into a rim at the bases, and 5 pseudostaminodes.

Plant Specifications

Planting and care

Water the plants often enough to keep the soil from completely drying out. They generally don t need additional fertilizer, but if they aren t growing well, try giving them a shovelful of compost in summer. Cut them back if the mounds start to sprawl or spread open.

Alternanthera care

Josephs s coat plants aren t picky about the soil as long as it is well-drained and not too rich. The plants grow well in both sun and partial shade, but the colors are more intense in full sun.

Alternanthera special feature

Bedding plant, edger or containe Foliage is particularly attractive when plants are massed as a ground cover or edger. Plants of this species have been used since Victorian times in clipped formal plantings. Also can be an attractive houseplant.

Alternanthera uses