Alternanthera bettzickiana (Calico Plant)

Native from western South America to Brazil, this bushy perennial herb or small subshrub usually grows about 2 to 18 inches tall and is often grown as an annual. Garden selections have green, red, pink, yellow or orange foliage, sometimes with variegated patterns. Tiny white flowers form rounded heads directly in the leaf axils. It is grown as a bedding and border plant and has spread beyond cultivation in many tropical regions. In India, it is invasive in the uplands of Kerala. Photographed in Armenia, Colombia and Ecuador.