Alternanthera reineckii Green
Alternanthera reineckii 'Green'
One of 4 forms of Alternanthera reineckii · See all forms →
Also known as AR Green, Alternanthera reineckii 'Grün', Green parrot leaf
Forms · Alternanthera reineckii
See all 4 →- Reineckii
- Mini
- Rosanervig
- GreenThis page
Care at a glance
- Light
- Medium light
- CO2
- CO₂ beneficial
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Placement
- Midground
- Type
- Stem
- Temperature
- 72–82°F (22–28°C)
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Hardness
- 3–12 dGH
- Max height
- 15.7 in (40 cm)
- Spread
- 5.9 in (15 cm)
- Nutrient uptake
- Root + water column
- Growth region
- Submersed or emersed
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Origin
- Cultivar of Alternanthera reineckii, native to South America
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
Overview
Grow it like any parrot leaf, just without chasing red. Plant stems a couple of centimetres apart in nutrient-rich substrate in the midground, or as a Dutch street. Medium light keeps it tidy, CO2 and iron-rich fertilization keep the leaves dense and the pink undersides glowing, and lean conditions or sudden parameter swings cost you the lower leaves. Growth is steady rather than rampant. Top and replant the tips to thicken the group; cuttings root readily.
In the wild
Alternanthera reineckii is a marsh plant from South America, growing in Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina on riverbanks and seasonally flooded wet ground, emersed for much of the year and submersed at high water. 'Green' is a cultivated colour form; only the parent species grows wild.
Good to know
A member of Amaranthaceae, the amaranth family. The genus name refers to the alternating fertile and sterile anthers of the flowers, and the species honours the German botanist Reinecke. 'Green' inverts the usual appeal of the species: instead of the red to purple submersed foliage the parrot leaf is grown for, it keeps lime-green upper leaf surfaces over pink to whitish undersides on red stems. Flowgrow's entry for the historic 'Grün' form is a bare stub with no sellers attached, and today's trade plants under the AR Green label may be a newer re-selection.
Did you know
The original green parrot leaf has nearly vanished from the hobby's records: Flowgrow's 'Grün' entry is an empty stub with no description and no sellers, so the AR Green in shops today may be a re-selection rather than the old cultivar. Either way it is the odd one out in a species everyone else grows for red.
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