Reshamkatha
Alternanthera ficoidea
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana & more
How to identify Reshamkatha
Identify Reshamkatha by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Ornamental groundcover.
- Confirm leaf shape: Simple oval/lance-shaped.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana, Rajasthan and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Amaranthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Reshamkatha.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Alternanthera ficoidea
- Genus
- Alternanthera
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Native to
- Tropical America
- Distribution
- Introduced in India
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Goa, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Punjab
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Simple oval/lance-shapedrecorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Reshamkatha itself; the rest are typical of the Amaranthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Achene
Typical of the Amaranthaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- रेशमकाथा Reshamkatha
- Bengali
- নানথি শাক Nanthi shak, পলতে কেশুত Palte keshut, সলতে কেশুত Salte keshut
- Tamil
- சீமை பொன்னாங்கண்ணி Seemai ponnankanni
- Telugu
- అడవి పున్నాగంటె అలము Adavi punnaganti aalamu
- Kannada
- ಮತ್ಸ್ಯಾಕ್ಷಿ Matsyakshi
- Malayalam
- പൊന്നാങ്കണ്ണി Ponnaankanni
- Marathi
- कुसळ Kusal
About Reshamkatha
Alternanthera ficoidea is a herb in the Amaranthaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana and 16 other states.
Amaranthaceae
Amaranth family
Reshamkatha belongs to the Amaranthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Amaranthaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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