Habit: Alternanthera caracasana grows as an herbaceous, rhizomatous, perennial forming mats to 1 m in diameter from a tuber. Stems quadrangular to round, rooting at the nodes, with white pubescence. The leaves are arranged oppositely, elliptic to oblanceolate to obovate, to 2 cm in length and 1 cm wide, sparsely pubescent, with an acute to obtuse (sometimes mucronate) leaf apex and an entire margin.
The complete, perfect, sessile, actinomorphic flowers are in sessile, axillary, round to elongate spikes. Flowers subtended by yellowish white, keeled and pubescent bracts. The perianth with 5, brown/tan, pubescent tepals There are 5 stamens and 5 staminodia fused at the base. The superior ovary has a single locule and seed. The fruit is an achene at maturity.
Habitat: Alternanthera caracasana grows in Human Altered environments (yards, gardens, roadsides, and disturbed areas).
Distribution: Alternanthera caracasana is native to the Lucayan Archipelago as well as the wider Caribbean region and Central and South America. It has become a weed in central/southern Africa.
Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Alternanthera caracasana is not known to be used medicinally in the Bahamian Archipelago.