Iresine rhizomatosa aka Juda's Bush

Iresine rhizomatosa is an herb that lives for many years. It belongs to the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. Common names include bloodleaf, woodland amaranth, and Juda’s bush. Kew gives its native range as the central and southern United States into tropical America. Missouri Botanical Garden gives more detail on its United States woodland sites. It grows in low woods and forests on floodplains. It also grows in wet woods, at bluff bases, and beside streams. It is not native to Britain or Ireland.

Plants grow 2–4 feet (0.61–1.22 metres) tall. The listed spread at full growth reaches about 3 feet (0.91 metres). Stems stand upright and bear leaves, but most lack branches. Leaves grow in pairs, each across from the other. Each leaf is simple, with one thin blade and a pointed tip. Leaves range from egg-shaped to a narrow form of that shape. They reach 0.5 feet (0.15 metres) long. Their width can reach 0.25 feet (0.08 metres). The top is deep green; the lower side is lighter. Rhizomes, or stems beneath the soil, help the plant spread beyond its first stems.

Flowers bloom from August through October, late in the growth season. Each tiny bloom ranges from cream-white to silver-white. The flowers form groups shaped like spikes, rather than opening alone. These groups grow at stem tips and in leaf axils. An axil is the joint where a leaf meets its stem. Missouri Botanical Garden calls the flowers showy despite their small size. The species is dioecious: male and female flowers grow on separate plants. The supplied evidence gives no facts about its fruit.

In gardens, give this plant moist to wet soil. It grows in part shade and can take full shade. This suits sites that get little direct sun. Missouri Botanical Garden lists USDA hardiness zones 5–8. It calls the plant easy to grow in these conditions. Its care needs rate as medium, not low. Bear its rhizome growth in mind when choosing a place in a bed.

This species suits damp, shaded parts of a landscape. Suggested sites include gardens of native plants and woodland gardens. It can form spreading groups in plantings left to grow in a natural way. Missouri Botanical Garden reports no serious insect or disease problems. The supplied sources do not establish uses as food or medicine. They also give no toxicity assessment for this species for people or pets.