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Alternanthera sessilis 'Red'

Family Name:	Amaranthaceae
Common Name:	Red Sessile Joyweed, Red Carpet Weed, Bayam Keremak Merah, Red Ceylon Spinach, 红田乌, 红田乌草

Full Sun

Semi Shade

Moderate Water

Ornamental Leaves

Creeper

Herbaceous Plant

Alternanthera sessilis 'Red', view of leaves and flowers

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Infraspecific Epithet
Name Status (botanical)
Common Names
Comments

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form	Creeper, Herbaceous Plant
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Mode of Nutrition	Autotrophic
Plant Shape	Leggy
Maximum Height	40 cm
Maximum Plant Spread / Crown Width	25 cm

Biogeography

Preferred Climate Zone	Tropical, Sub-Tropical / Monsoonal
Local Conservation Status	Non-native (Horticultural / Cultivated Only)

Description and Ethnobotany

Growth Form	Perennial herb with a creeping growth habit up to 0.5 m tall.
Foliage	Narrow, elongated leaves are reddish purple with entire leaf margin (smooth edges).
Stems	Stems are smooth and reddish purple.

Flowers

Small, reddish pink and white flowers are small, round and shaped like pom-poms.

Ethnobotanical Uses

Medicinal:

Scientific Evidence of Medicinal Properties

In pre-clinical trials, Red Carpet Weed showed anti-diabetic (Hossain et al., 2014), pain-relieving (Mondal et al., 2014), anti-inflammation (Subhashini et al., 2010), antioxidant (Phusrisom et al., 2013) and cholesterol-lowering properties (Rohini & Doss, 2010) in animals.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

Research supports the traditional use of Red Carpet Weed to treat diabetes, wounds, bronchitis, cough and hypertension. Other traditional uses include treating flatulence, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and dysentery.

It is important to note that some therapeutic effects from traditional medicinal uses of plants are not currently supported or verified by scientific research.

Landscaping Features

Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Foliage
Landscape Uses	Container Planting
Thematic Landscaping	Economic Garden

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun, Semi-Shade
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Fast

Rootzone Tolerance	Fertile Loamy Soils, Well-Drained Soils
Propagation Method	Seed, Stem Cutting
Maintenance Requirements Remarks	Plant tends to be 'leggy' and exhibit poor coverage of ground.

Foliar

Foliage Retention	Evergreen
Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Red
Mature Foliage Texture(s)	Smooth

Foliar Type	Simple / Unifoliate
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem	Opposite
Foliar Shape(s)	Non-Palm Foliage (Elliptical)
Foliar Venation	Pinnate / Net
Foliar Margin	Entire
Foliar Apex - Tip	Acuminate, Acute
Foliar Base	Cuneate
Typical Foliar Area	Microphyll ( 2.25cm2 - 20.25 cm2 )
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	4.5 (Shrub & Groundcover - Dicot)

Non - Foliar and Storage

Stem Type & Modification	Herbaceous
Root Type	Underground (Fibrous Root)

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower & Plant Sexuality	Bisexual Flowers
Flower Colour(s)	White
Flowering Period	Free-Flowering

Flowering Habit

Polycarpic

References

References	Hossain, A.I., Faisal, M., Rahman, S., Jahan, R., & Rahmatullah, M. (2014). A preliminary evaluation of antihyperglycemic and analgesic activity of Alternanthera sessilis aerial parts. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 14: 169. Mondal, H., Saha, S., Awang, K., Hossain, H., Ablat, A., Islam, M.K., Jahan, I.A., Sadhu, S.K., Hossain, M.G., Shilpi, J.A. & Uddin, S.J. (2014). Central-stimulating and analgesic activity of the ethanolic extract of Alternanthera sessilis in mice. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 14: 398. Phusrisom, S., Chatuphonprasert, W., Monthakantirat, O., Pearaksa, P. & Jarukamjorn, K. (2013). Alternanthera sessilis and Alternanthera bettzickiana improved superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in the livers of ovariectomized mice. Journal of Applied Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics 1: 64–71. Rohini, A., Doss, D. & Arokia, V. (2010). Anti-lipidemic effect of Alternanthera sessilis Linn in diabetic rats. Research Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2(2): 169–170. Subhashini, T., Krishnaveni, T. & Srinivas, R.C. (2010). Anti-inflammatory activity of leaf extracts of Alternanthera sessilis. Hygeia Journal for Drugs & Medicines 2(1): 54–56.

References

Hossain, A.I., Faisal, M., Rahman, S., Jahan, R., & Rahmatullah, M. (2014). A preliminary evaluation of antihyperglycemic and analgesic activity of Alternanthera sessilis aerial parts. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 14: 169.

Mondal, H., Saha, S., Awang, K., Hossain, H., Ablat, A., Islam, M.K., Jahan, I.A., Sadhu, S.K., Hossain, M.G., Shilpi, J.A. & Uddin, S.J. (2014). Central-stimulating and analgesic activity of the ethanolic extract of Alternanthera sessilis in mice. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 14: 398.

Phusrisom, S., Chatuphonprasert, W., Monthakantirat, O., Pearaksa, P. & Jarukamjorn, K. (2013). Alternanthera sessilis and Alternanthera bettzickiana improved superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in the livers of ovariectomized mice. Journal of Applied Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics 1: 64–71.

Rohini, A., Doss, D. & Arokia, V. (2010). Anti-lipidemic effect of Alternanthera sessilis Linn in diabetic rats. Research Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2(2): 169–170.

Subhashini, T., Krishnaveni, T. & Srinivas, R.C. (2010). Anti-inflammatory activity of leaf extracts of Alternanthera sessilis. Hygeia Journal for Drugs & Medicines 2(1): 54–56.

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Master ID	29124
Species ID	3433
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.