Alternanthera helleri: taxon details and analytics
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Caryophyllales
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Genus
- Alternanthera
- Species
- Alternanthera helleri
- Scientific Name
- Alternanthera helleri
Summary description from Wikipedia:
Alternanthera helleri
Alternanthera helleri is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. It is believed to be green in color anywhere from 90 to 100% of the year depending on elevation. The leaves are considered to be highly toxic to humans and should not be consumed under any circumstances.
Alternanthera helleri is a fall-blooming species, it can be planted at any time of year, but the best time is early/middle fall, as this provides it with an optimum blooming window when it will be in season. It is very rare to find growing in the wild, and recent national park's and forest's efforts to remove hazardous plants such as this one have drastically reduced the numbers in the wild. It is still grown, however, in laboratory settings, where scientists try to analyze just exactly what makes it so toxic to humans. It is theorized that the plant produces a powerful hemotoxin, perhaps similar to oleander in nature.
...Parent Taxon
Sibling Taxa
- Alternanthera albida
- Alternanthera albosquarrosa
- Alternanthera albotomentosa
- Alternanthera altacruzensis
- Alternanthera angustifolia
- Alternanthera aquatica
- Alternanthera arequipensis
- Alternanthera areschougii
- Alternanthera axillaris
- Alternanthera bahiensis
- Alternanthera bettzickiana
- Alternanthera brasiliana
- Alternanthera calcicola
- Alternanthera cana
- Alternanthera canescens
- Alternanthera caracasana
- Alternanthera cinerella
- Alternanthera collina
- Alternanthera congesta
- Alternanthera cordobensis
- Alternanthera corymbiformis
- Alternanthera costaricensis
- Alternanthera crassifolia
- Alternanthera decurrens
- Alternanthera dendrotricha
- Alternanthera denticulata
- Alternanthera dominii
- Alternanthera echinocephala
- Alternanthera ficoidea
- Alternanthera filifolia
- Alternanthera flava
- Alternanthera flavescens
- Alternanthera flavicoma
- Alternanthera galapagensis
- Alternanthera geniculata
- Alternanthera gracilis
- Alternanthera grandis
- Alternanthera halimifolia
- Alternanthera helleri
- Alternanthera hirtula
- Alternanthera kurtzii
- Alternanthera laguroides
- Alternanthera lanceolata
- Alternanthera laxa
- Alternanthera littoralis
- Alternanthera lupulina
- Alternanthera macbridei
- Alternanthera maritima
- Alternanthera micrantha
- Alternanthera microphylla
- Alternanthera mollendoana
- Alternanthera nahui
- Alternanthera nana
- Alternanthera nesiotes
- Alternanthera nodifera
- Alternanthera nodiflora
- Alternanthera obovata
- Alternanthera olivacea
- Alternanthera paronychioides
- Alternanthera peruviana
- Alternanthera philoxeroides
- Alternanthera porrigens
- Alternanthera praelonga
- Alternanthera pubiflora
- Alternanthera pulverulenta
- Alternanthera pumila
- Alternanthera pungens
- Alternanthera pycnantha
- Alternanthera ramosissima
- Alternanthera reineckii
- Alternanthera robinsonii
- Alternanthera rugulosa
- Alternanthera sessilis
- Alternanthera sissoo
- Alternanthera snodgrassii
- Alternanthera stellata
- Alternanthera subscaposa
- Alternanthera suessenguthii
- Alternanthera vestita