Khaki Weed - introduced (*Alternanthera pungens)

Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family).
Native of South America.
Occurrence: A weed of northern areas, growing most often on degraded land.

Identification:

• it is a prostrate plant with reddish stems
• it has ovate leaves
• the flowers are prickly and cream to pale brown in colour
• the flowers are in dense clusters at the leaf bases.

The spiny fruits help in seed dispersal. It may also be spread by dispersal of roots or stems. Khaki Weed is a noxious weed and Regionally Controlled in North Central Victoria.

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