Alternanthera nana

Hairy Joyweed at Paddys River, ACT

Alternanthera nana at Paddys River, ACT - 6 Apr 2016
Alternanthera nana at Paddys River, ACT - 6 Apr 2016
Alternanthera nana at Paddys River, ACT - 6 Apr 2016
Alternanthera nana at Paddys River, ACT - 6 Apr 2016
Alternanthera nana at Paddys River, ACT - 6 Apr 2016
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Identification history

Alternanthera nana 18 Apr 2018 MichaelMulvaney
Alternanthera nana 15 Apr 2018 michaelb
Alternanthera sp. 14 Apr 2018 BettyDonWood
Alternanthera pungens 19 Jul 2016 BettyDonWood
Unidentified 19 Jul 2016 michaelb

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User's notes

On the western side of the Murrumbidgee River, north of Tharwa.

8 comments

BettyDonWood wrote:
   20 Jul 2016
If it is Alternanthera pungens, it is atypical. This species is normally prostrate, rooting at the nodes. The tips of the bracts srrounding the flowers are sharp. The leaves are bradly oval, to 10 cm long and 3 cm wide. However, no other species of Alternanthera is anything like this at all, and I cannot think of any other genus that has flower clusters like this.
michaelb wrote:
   14 Apr 2018
Having found a specimen of Alternanthera pungens, see:
https://canberra.naturemapr.org/Community/Sightings/Details/3394778
I now have doubts about the ID for this plant. It looks very much like Betty's specimen of Alternanthera nana on the Atlas, see:
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/http://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2899518
and
https://biocache.ala.org.au/occurrences/b1648ae9-3260-4d69-afbe-e978b188bcc9
Also see:
http://keys.trin.org.au/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Alternanthera_nana.htm
KenT wrote:
   14 Apr 2018
From what I can make out of the flowers, the perianth segments appear to be more or less of equal length (how long I cant tell) and on looking at the PlantNET key, that character takes you away from Alternanthera pungens. It looks closer to the images on the sites that you refer to but less so to the Alternanthera nana images on CNM.
BettyDonWood wrote:
   14 Apr 2018
The big difference in the field between these two species is that the bracts round the flowers of pungens are spiky and those of nana are soft. Can you remember after all this time?
michaelb wrote:
   14 Apr 2018
I handled the plant a fair bit to get the photos and I'm sure they were not spiky like the A. pungens I reported today.
michaelb wrote:
   15 Apr 2018
Alternanthera nana has the common name of Hairy Joyweed and this specimen fits well with that.
michaelb wrote:
   15 Apr 2018
If possible I'll collect a specimen when I get the chance.
michaelb wrote:
   8 May 2018
ID confirmed by David Albrecht through ANBG on 7 April 2018. Specimen shown in the following sighting:
https://canberra.naturemapr.org/Community/Sightings/Details/3397531

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  • 10cm to 30cm Plant height

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