Iresine

? Iresine
Iresine herbstii
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Caryophyllales Family: Amaranthaceae Genus: Iresine

Iresine is a genus which have a number garden ornamental plants in the family Amaranthaceae. These plants are found in the wild in tropical America, and there are between 20 and 25 species. However, only some species are usually cultivated because they have colored foliage, which is called bloodleaf.

Species include:

• Iresine angustifolia Euph.
• Iresine argentata (Mart.) D. Dietr.
• Iresine diffusa Humb. et Bonpl. ex Willd. (= Iresine celosia, Iresine celosioides, Iresine canescens, Iresine paniculata (L.) Kuntze, Iresine elongata)
  • Iresine diffusa f. lindenii (=Iresine lindenii)
• Iresine elatior
• Iresine flavescens Humb. et Bonpl. ex Willd.
• Iresine grandiflora
• Iresine herbstii Hook. ex Lindl.
• Iresine heterophylla Standl.
• Iresine keyensis
• Iresine leptoclada (Hook. f.) Henrickson et Sundberg
• Iresine macrophylla R.E.Fr. (= Cruzeta celosioides (L.) M.Gómez, Celosia paniculata L., Iresine celosioides L.)
• Iresine polymorpha Mart.
• Iresine palmeri (S. Wats.) Standl.
• Iresine rhizomatosa Standl.

Some members of the genus are used as additives to some versions of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca.

References

General references

• Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11892.