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Alternanthera flavescens Kunth
Yellow joyweed

Alternanthera flavescens
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer

Family: Amaranthaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Scattered in peninsular Florida, the West Indies (where possibly introduced in part), southern Mexico, Central America and South America.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Secure

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Although treated in the Flora of North America as non-native, we can find no data to support this. This was one of the earliest species recorded in South Florida and it is scattered but widespread throughout the subtropical and tropical Americas. Described as Telanthera floridana Chapm. in 1860.

Also, visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and click on the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants link below for more images.

Synonyms: A. floridana, Telanthera floridana.

Other data on Alternanthera flavescens available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Alternanthera flavescens has been found in the following 66 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
Alice C. Wainwright Park Present Native
Atlantic Dunes Park Present Native
Attwood Addition, Indian Key Historic State Park Present Native
Barefoot Beach Preserve Present Native
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Native
Biscayne National Park Present Native
Blowing Rocks Preserve Present Native
Blue Heron Hammock, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Bocilla Preserve Present Native
Cape Romano - Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve Present Native
Cayo Costa State Park Present Native
Cedar Point Environmental Park Present Native
Chapman Field Park Present Native
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Native
Crandon Park Present Native
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Curry Hammock State Park Present Native
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Native
Danforth Park Recorded as Present in Error
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Native
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park Present Native
Delray Beach Municipal Beach Present Native
Don Pedro Island State Park Present Native
Dove Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Present Native
Estero Bay Preserve State Park Present Native
Everglades National Park Present Native
Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association tract A
Gasparilla Island State Park Present Native
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Greynolds Park Present Native
Gulfstream Park Present Native
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Native
Indian Key Historic State Park Assumed to be Present Native
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Present Native
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Native
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Native
Key West National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Lake San Pedro Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park Present Native
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, Klopp Tract Present Native
Little Hamaca Park Present Native
Long Key State Park Present Native
Lovers Key State Park Present Native
Mound Key Archaeological State Park Present Native
National Key Deer Refuge Present Native
Ocean Ridge Hammock Park Present Native
Oleta River State Park Present Native
Phipps Ocean Park Present Native
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Recorded as Present in Error
R. Hardy Matheson Preserve Present Native
Red Reef Park, including Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Present Native
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Native
Seacrest Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Snake Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
South Beach Park Present Native
Stump Pass Beach State Park Present Native
Sugarloaf Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Tamarind Private Dune Present Native
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Tigertail Beach County Park Present Native
Virginia Key Beach Park and Marine Stadium Present Native
West Lake Park/Anne Kolb Nature Center Present Native
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park Present Native

Alternanthera flavescens has been found in the following 9 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Native
Charlotte County Native
Collier County Native
Lee County Native
Martin County Native
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Native
Monroe County (Mainland) Native
Palm Beach County Native

Alternanthera flavescens has been found in the following 10 habitats :
Beach Dune
Coastal Berm
Coastal Grassland
Coastal Interdunal Swale
Coastal Strand
Disturbed Upland
Keys Cactus Barren
Maritime Hammock
Rockland Hammock
Shell Mound

All Images:

Alternanthera flavescens
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Alternanthera flavescens
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park,
Monroe County, Florida
Alternanthera flavescens
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Blazingstar Preserve, Palm Beach County, Florida
Alternanthera flavescens
Copyright by: Jay Horn via iNaturalist