Alternanthera dentata

Alternanthera dentata, known as little ruby and ruby leaf alternanthera,[1] is a fast-growing ornamental groundcover plant in the amaranth family which was first described by Conrad Moench, and got its current name from Stuchlík and Robert Elias Fries.[2] Native to the West Indies and Brazil, the plant is chiefly grown for its coloured foliage. It is one of the dozen synonyms of Alternanthera brasiliana, (please correct: A. dentata Scheygr., not A. dentata Stuchlík ex R.E.Fr.) and is alike in appearance with Alternanthera bettzickiana, which all have strikingly similar looking cultivars.[3]

Alternanthera dentata
'Little Ruby' cultivar
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Alternanthera
Species:
A. dentata
Binomial name
Alternanthera dentata
(Moench) Stuchlík ex R. E. Fr.

Description

Growing 60 to 80 cm, the herbaceous plant features burgundy-coloured, pointed foliage with a radiant ruby red rearwards and it has a compact, mounding and spreading habit. The popular cultivar 'Little Ruby' is shorter and slightly less brownish in colour, in addition to having smaller leaves as well. The plant features dark creamy, pompom-like flowers, which bloom in winter and early spring.[4]

Cultivation

Suited for pots, it may be used as a hedge and as a contrasting plant to the more lighter foliage in the garden. Thriving in humid conditions and has heat tolerance, the plant does best in well drained soil under a full sun to partial shade, with somewhat shaded frost-free location in the garden.[5] The plant can easily be propagated by stem cuttings and would root readily in plain water.

  • 'Brazilian Red Hots' cultivar
    'Brazilian Red Hots' cultivar
  • 'Little Ruby' cultivar in India
    'Little Ruby' cultivar in India
  • 'Brazilian Red Hots' cultivar with bright pink colours
    'Brazilian Red Hots' cultivar with bright pink colours
  • 'Little Ruby' placed in containers
    'Little Ruby' placed in containers
  • Group of Little Rubies in a home garden
    Group of Little Rubies in a home garden
  • As a hedge near a walkway
    As a hedge near a walkway

References
  1. ALTERNANTHERA DENTATA
  2. Roskov Y.; Kunze T.; Orrell T.; Abucay L.; Paglinawan L.; Culham A.; Bailly N.; Kirk P.; Bourgoin T.; Baillargeon G.; Decock W.; De Wever A. (2014). Didžiulis V. (ed.). "Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2014 Annual Checklist". Species 2000: Reading, Uk. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  3. Stuchlík J., 1913-09-01Generis Gomphrenae species exclusae.
  4. Alternanthera dentata
  5. Little Ruby™ Alternanthera dentata ‘LRU30’
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