Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Alternanthera pungens

Flowers and leaves. Photographer Mike Sim, Canberra, ACT 

Flowering stems. Photographer Michael Bedingfield, Canberra, ACT 

Common name

Khaki weed

Family

Amaranthaceae

Where found

Grassy areas, disturbed sites, road sides, and along streams. Mainly in the Sydney area. Localised infestations in the ACT, and on the tablelands and Western Slopes. One coastal sighting at Jamberoo.

Notes

Introduced ephemeral or perennial herb, prostrate with stems to 60 cm long, or to 0.15 m tall. Flower heads and seed cases with many sharp points. Stems hairy. Leaves opposite each other, 0.5-6 cm long, 6-30 mm wide, hairless to sparsely hairy, tips often with a straight mucro. Flowers 3.5–5 mm long, yellowish to greenish turning brownish, with 5 sharp pointed chaffy 'petals', in globular to oval clusters 8-15 mm long and to 10 mm wide.. Flowers Spring to Autumn. 

General Biosecurity Duty all NSW. Noxious weed Vic.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Alternanthera~pungens (accessed 3 January, 2021)