Alternanthera caracasana

Washerwoman

Family: Amaranthaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Washerwoman is a naturalized perennial found in southern California coastal areas in generally disturbed areas at elevations below 150 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces white to straw-colored flowers in compact ovoid clusters 5 to 8 millimeters long. Growing with prostrate, mat-forming stems 10 to 50 centimeters long that are initially woolly and become nearly hairless with age, it spreads across the ground in dense patches. Its leaves are rhombic-ovate to obovate, 5 to 25 millimeters long with rounded tips, becoming less hairy as the plant matures. The tiny brown fruits are nearly spherical and about 1.5 millimeters across, with a somewhat truncate tip.

Habitat: Generally disturbed areas

Bloom period: Aug-Oct

Elevation: < 150 m

Bioregions: SCo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.