North Carolina Wildflowers, Shrubs, & Trees

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages

Amaranthaceae > Alternanthera (joyweed, chaff-flower)
	Alligatorweed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) Washington Co., NC 21 June 2006 Alligatorweed is a very invasive exotic species native to Central & South America. In North Carolina it aggressively grows in the coastal plain in ditches, ponds, blackwater habitats, etc., forming dense mats of vegetation and choking out the native flora & fauna.
	Alligatorweed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) Washington Co., NC 21 June 2006

Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; Alan Weakley's Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Supplemental resources include USDA plants website, and NatureServe.