Alternanthera Betzika

Family Amaranthaceae. Native to Brazil.

Perennial herbaceous or semi-shrub plants up to 15 cm tall, growing erect, pubescent at the base. Leaves spatulate with pointed tips, variegated, olive-green with yellowish-white, reddish and white spots. Flower heads are located at the ends of stems or in the leaf axils. This species has many varieties or forms with green, yellow and red leaf coloration,

The most common are: f. aurea - with yellow leaves; f. paronychioides - with olive-red leaves; var. spathulata - with dark red leaves and stems; forms (nana, compacta, magnifica, versicolor), as well as the typical form - var. typica Regel (more often called the prickly alternanthera - A. paronychioides hort.) A compact bush up to 15 cm tall with rounded-lobed or oval leaves, slightly wavy at the edge and variegated. On the same plant there can be green, pale yellow, red, pink or variegated leaves. According to Bailey, the following may be included here: 'picta', 'tricolor', 'aurea', 'paranichyoides', 'Juvel' and others.