Amaranthaceae

Sessile joyweed

Alternanthera sessilis (L.) DC.

Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Alternanthera

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Sessile joyweed (Alternanthera sessilis) — FlowerPhoto: Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (22)

Arabic: نمول لاطئ
arz: نمول لاطئ
Bangla: চাঁচিঘাস
Chinese: 莲子草, 蓮子草, 水牛膝, 满天星, 白花仔, 膨蜞菊, 节节花, 虾钳菜
English: Sessile joyweed, Dwarf copperleaf, Chaff flower, Joy weed
French: Brède Chevrette, Brède Emballages, Magloire, Serenti
Hausa: Mai kai dubu, Buzun maraya
Hebrew: ביצן מכסיף
Indonesian: Kremah
Kannada: ಹೊನಗೊನ್ನೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು
lah: گندل بوٹی
Malagasy: Anamalaza, Anambalaza, Felikavola, Fotsimbarinakoho, Kimaroatody, Maroatody, Pokaty, Tsipoapoaka
Malayalam: പൊന്നാങ്കണ്ണി
Marathi: बेचकुसळ
mnw: ဝုန်က
Odia: ମଦରଙ୍ଗା ଶାଗ
Sinhala: මුකුණුවැන්න
Sundanese: Jatinangor
Tamil: பொன்னாங்காணி, பொன்னாங்கண்ணி
Telugu: పొన్నగంటి కూర
Tongan: Fisiʻiano
Vietnamese: Rau Dệu

Synonyms

Achyranthes linearifolia Sw. ex Wikstr.
Achyranthes sessilis (L.) Besser
Achyranthes triandra Roxb.
Achyranthes villosa Blanco
Allaganthera forsskaolei Mart.
Alternanthera achyranthes Forssk.
Alternanthera achyranthoides Hiern
Alternanthera achyranthoides Forssk.
Alternanthera angustifolia R.Br.
Alternanthera angustifolia var. lanata Benth.
Alternanthera angustifolia var. macrocephala Domin
Alternanthera angustifolia var. typica Domin
Alternanthera denticulata R.Br.
Alternanthera denticulata var. major Moq.
Alternanthera denticulata var. micrantha Benth.
Alternanthera denticulata var. uliginosa Domin
Alternanthera dubia Hort.Paris. ex Moq.
Alternanthera ficoides (L.) P.Beauv.
Alternanthera ficoides var. minor P.Beauv.
Alternanthera ficoides var. versicolor Lem.
Alternanthera glabra Moq.
Alternanthera major (Benth.) Domin
Alternanthera micrantha Domin
Alternanthera nana R.Br.
Alternanthera nana var. major Benth.
Alternanthera nodiflora R.Br.
Alternanthera nodiflora var. lanceolata Moq.
Alternanthera nodiflora var. linearifolia Moq.
Alternanthera polygonoides (L.) Sweet
Alternanthera prostrata D.Don
Alternanthera repens Gmel.
Alternanthera sennii Mattei
Alternanthera sessilis f. lanceolata Kuntze
Alternanthera sessilis f. spathulifolia Kuntze
Alternanthera sessilis var. angustifolia Moq.
Alternanthera sessilis var. denticulata (R.Br.) Kuntze
Alternanthera sessilis var. major Moq.
Alternanthera sessilis var. neglecta Kuntze
Alternanthera sessilis var. nodiflora (R.Br.) Kuntze
Alternanthera sessilis var. parviflora Kuntze

and 15 more.

Flowers

In flower: March to January (from 153 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual, Perennial
In the US and Canada: Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: native, U.S. Virgin Islands: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Dinesh Valke, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: chiuluan, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: 高山田鼠, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Sam Kieschnick, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Macleay Grass Man, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Cheng-Te Hsu, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Cheng-Tao Lin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Thamizhpparithi Maari, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Alternanthera

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.