Fittonia albivenis
(Lindl. ex Veitch) Brummitt
Acanthaceae
Adelaster albivenis Lindl. ex Veitch
Fittonia argyroneura Coem.
Fittonia verschaffeltii (Lem.) Van Houtte
Gymnostachyum argyroneurum (Coem.) J.Verschaff.
Gymnostachyum verschaffeltii Lem.
Common Name:
The dense leaf growth makes an excellent ground cover.
Photograph by: David Stang
The dense leaf growth makes an excellent ground cover.
Photograph by: David Stang
Inflorescence
Photograph by: H. Zell
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Different variegation, same dense growth
Photograph by: Not known
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
General Information
Fittonia albivenis is an evergreen, perennial plant forming a low-growng, dense mat of growth about 8cm tall[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. A very attractive plant, valued especially for its dense growth habit and colourful patterning of the leaves - it is often grown in the tropical garden, especially as a ground cover in shady positions, and is also grown as a house plant, often in hanging baskets[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
S. America - northern Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela.
Habitat
Dense forest at elevations up to 800 metres[
521- Title
- Useful Plants of the Siona and Secoya Indians of Eastern Ecuador.
- Publication
- Fieldiana Botany New Series No. 15
- Author
- Vickers W.T.; Plowman T.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Field Museum of Natural History; USA.
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0015 - 0746
- Description
- Very terse, but it gives the uses of a large number of species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Perennial |
| Height | 0.08 m |
| Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Succeeds in partial to dense shade[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
710- Title
- Tropical Flowering Plants. A Guide to Identification and Cultivation.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Llamas K.A.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Oregon.
- Year
- 2003
- ISBN
- 0-88192-585-3
- Description
- A terse guide for the gardener to almost 1,500 species of ornamental tropical plants with brief details on their cultivation and, usually, a small photograph of good quality.
]. Grows best in a fertile, moist but well-drained soil[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
710- Title
- Tropical Flowering Plants. A Guide to Identification and Cultivation.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Llamas K.A.
- Publisher
- Timber Press; Oregon.
- Year
- 2003
- ISBN
- 0-88192-585-3
- Description
- A terse guide for the gardener to almost 1,500 species of ornamental tropical plants with brief details on their cultivation and, usually, a small photograph of good quality.
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
A decoction of the whole, crushed plant is taken internally, or applied topically, as a remedy for headache and muscular pain[
521- Title
- Useful Plants of the Siona and Secoya Indians of Eastern Ecuador.
- Publication
- Fieldiana Botany New Series No. 15
- Author
- Vickers W.T.; Plowman T.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Field Museum of Natural History; USA.
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0015 - 0746
- Description
- Very terse, but it gives the uses of a large number of species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Agroforestry Uses:
The plant has a dense, mat-forming habit of growth and does well as a ground cover in shady positions[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
Division.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
