Habit: Argythamnia argentea grows as erect woody herb to 50 cm in height (typically shorter). The leaves are arranged alternately, narrow elliptic, to 5 cm in length with an acute apex, entire to slightly gland tipped serrate along the upper leaf margin. The vegetation has appressed malpighiaceous trichomes and is silvery.
The incomplete, imperfect, monoecious, actinomorphic, flowers are arranged in leaf axils. Staminate flowers with 4 greenish, ovate sepals and acute petals and 4 stamens. Carpellate flowers with 5 greenish, sepals and petals, 5 glands, and a single superior carpel with bi-fid styles, with 3 locules and numerous seeds. The fruit is a capsule at maturity that splits along 3 suture lines. The entire floral structure, including the fruit, is silvery hirsute.
Habitat: Argythamnia argentea grows in Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formation – Shrublands with a sand substrate.
Distribution: Argythamnia argentea is endemic to the Lucayan Archipelago with populations in the southern, central and northern islands.
Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Argythamnia argentea is not known to be used medicinally in the Bahamas.
Argythamnia argentea is listed by the IUCN as Endangered (EN) under criteria B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii).
Williams, S., Clubbe, C. & Hamilton, M. 2012. Argythamnia argentea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T16726358A16727063.
https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T16726358A16727063.en.
Based on additional populations in the Bahamas this listing may be re-evaluated in the future.