Amaranthus caudatus

Taxonomy and growth

Family

Amaranthaceae

Genus

Amaranthus

Life cycle

annual

Height

2 m

Spread

0.45 m

Fertility

Self fertile, Wind, Self

Flower type

monoecious

Pollinators

Wind, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked as a spinach or added to soups etc^{[9][12][14][1][5]}. The mild flavoured leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals[183, K]. Seed - cooked^{[9][12][13][1]}. Very small but easy to harvest and very nutritious, individual plants can bear up to 100, 000 seeds^[6]. It is eaten cooked or ground into a powder and used in baking^[14][5][6]. The seed can also be popped in much the same way as popcorn^[15][5]. The seed can be cooked whole, and becomes very gelatinous like this, but it is rather difficult to crush all of the small seeds in the mouth and thus some of the seed will pass right through the digestive system without being assimilated[K]. The seed is very nutritious and contains 13 - 18% of a very high quality protein that is rich in the amino acid lysine^[6]. It also contains good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamin E and the vitamin B complex^[6]. A red food colouring called 'betalaina' is obtained from red cultivars^[6].

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant is astringent, anthelmintic and diuretic^[11][10]. It is used in the treatment of stranguary and is applied externally to scrofulous sores^[10].

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant^[4].

Environment

Range

Tropics.

Habitat

A weed of cultivated ground^[3].

Light

full sun

Shade tolerance

no shade

Water

moderate

Hardiness

Zone 5+

Soil textures

sandy, loamy, clay

Soil pH

very acid, acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline

Drainage

well drained

Tolerances

drought

Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil

No

Drought

tolerant

Salinity

tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a well-drained fertile soil in a sunny position^[6][7]. Grows moderately well in poor soils^[7]. Requires a hot sheltered position if it is to do well[K]. Plants are drought resistant though reasonable moisture levels are required for germination and also at pollination^[6]. Some forms can tolerate a pH up to 8.5, there are also some that can tolerate mild salinity^[6]. It is likely that they will also tolerate acid soils and aluminium toxicity^[6]. Plants are not frost-hardy, the most cold tolerant cultivars can tolerate temperatures down to about 4°c^[6]. Plants should not be given inorganic fertilizers, see notes above on toxicity. This species is cultivated for its edible seed and leaves in the Andes and various other parts of S. America^[12][14][15]. It probably arose through cultivation from A. quitensis. There are some named varieties^[6]. Plants take 4 - 6 months from sowing to harvesting the seed, but up to 10 months in some Andean highland regions^[6]. Yields from 1 - 3 tonnes per hectare are common, 5 tonnes has been achieved and research sites have produced the equivalent of 6 tonnes per hectare^[6]. The seed is usually harvested just before maturity otherwise some of the seed will be lost during harvesting^[6]. Plants usually have downward facing seedheads but varieties have been developed with upward facing heads that can be harvested mechanically^[6]. This species is sensitive to day-length most cultivars are short-day and have not done well in northern latitudes, but there are some varieties that flower at day-lengths up to 16 hours^[6]. Most if not all members of this genus photosynthesize by a more efficient method than most plants. Called the 'C4 carbon-fixation pathway', this process is particularly efficient at high temperatures, in bright sunlight and under dry conditions^[6].

Related plants

• Amaranthus albusProstate Pigweed
• Amaranthus bidentata
• Amaranthus blitoidesMat Amaranth
• Amaranthus blitumSlender Amaranth

References

1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

   ↩1↩2

2. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987-00-00

   ↩1↩2

3. Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976-00-00

   ↩

4. Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8

   ↩

5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

   ↩1↩2↩3

6. Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-309-04264-X

   ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11↩12↩13↩14↩15↩16↩17

7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

   ↩1↩2

8. Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4

   ↩

9. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

   ↩1↩2

10. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

11. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩

12. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

13. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩

14. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2↩3

15. Towle. M. A. The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru.

    ↩1↩2