Alternanthera nahui

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}

{{use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2025}}

{{Speciesbox

|image = Alternanthera nahui Heenan and de Lange (AM AK299428).jpg

|image_caption = Alternanthera nahui

|genus = Alternanthera

|species = nahui

|authority = Heenan & de Lange

}}

Alternanthera nahui, commonly known as nahui, is a species in the family Amaranthaceae, native to New Zealand and to Norfolk Island.

Description

It is a perennial herb that has a slender tap root. Its stems are 1.5–3.0 mm in diameter and tend to lie down. It can be distinguished from Alternanthera sessilis by its narrower leaves, its keeled tepals, its shorter staminodes and style.

Taxonomy

It was first described in 2009 by Peter Heenan, Peter de Lange and J. Keeling.

Synonymy

There are no synonyms according to Plants of the World Online. However, according to NZPCN it has, from time to time, been incorrectly referred as Alternanthera sessilis (L.) Roem. & Schult, prior to the species description in 2009.

Habitat

It is a coastal and lowland species found in both seasonally and permanently wet habitats.

Conservation status

In the 2018 conservation assessment of de Lange and others under the New Zealand Threat Classification System it was classed as "Not Threatened", having a "large, stable population".{{Cite journal|last1=Lange|first1=Peter J. de|last2=Rolfe|first2=Jeremy R.|last3=Barkla|first3=John W.|last4=Courtney|first4=Shannel P.|last5=Champion|first5=Paul D.|last6=Perrie|first6=Leon R.|last7=Beadel|first7=Sarah M.|last8=Ford|first8=Kerry A.|last9=Breitwieser|first9=Ilse|last10=Schönberger|first10=Ines|last11=Hindmarsh-Walls|first11=Rowan|date=2018-05-01|title=Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017|url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs22entire.pdf|journal=New Zealand Threat Classification Series|volume=22|pages=54|oclc=1041649797}}

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{Cite web|url=http://nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=2050|title=Alternanthera nahui {{!}} New Zealand Plant Conservation Network|website=nzpcn.org.nz|access-date=2019-11-28}}

{{Cite web|url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77099990-1|title=Alternanthera nahui Heenan & de Lange {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science|website=Plants of the World Online|access-date=2019-11-28}}

{{cite journal|last1=Heenan|first1=P.B.|last2=de Lange|first2=P.J.|last3=Keeling|first3=J.|title=Alternanthera nahui, a new species of Amaranthaceae indigenous to New Zealand|journal=New Zealand Journal of Botany|volume=47|issue=1|year=2009|pages=97–105|issn=0028-825X|doi=10.1080/00288250909509795|bibcode=2009NZJB...47...97H |s2cid=85153162}} [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00288250909509795 pdf]

}}