Amaranthus cruentus
Amaranthus tricolor
blood amaranth, caterpillar amaranth, purple amaranth, red amaranth
Joseph's-coat, summer poinsettia
erect, green or reddish purple, branched distally, mostly in inflorescence, to nearly simple, 0.4–2 m. Leaves: petiole 1/2 as long as to ± equaling blade;
blade rhombic-ovate or ovate to broadly lanceolate, 3–15(–20) × 1.5–10(–15) cm, occasionally larger in robust plants, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margins entire, plane, apex acute or subobtuse to slightly emarginate, with mucro.
erect, often branched, 0.8–1.5 m. Leaves: petiole 1/2 as long as blade;
blade ovate, elliptic, rhombic, or lanceolate, mostly 4–12 × 1.4–6 cm, base tapering, margins entire, usually undulate, apex acuminate and short-mucronate;
distal leaf blades green, red, scarlet, maroon, purple, yellow, and cream (unique to A. tricolor).
narrowly spathulate, 2–3 mm, equaling or slightly longer than tepals, apex short-spinescent.
of pistillate flowers ovate to lanceolate, 5–6 mm.
terminal and axillary, erect, reflexed, or nodding, usually dark red, purple, or deep beet-red, less commonly almost green or greenish red, leafless at least distally, large and robust.
axillary glomerules.
at tips of inflorescences;
tepals 5;
stamens (4–)5.
intermixed with pistillate;
tepals 3;
stamens 3.
tepals 5, oblong to lanceolate, not clawed, equal or subequal, 1.5–3 mm, apex acute;
style branches erect or slightly reflexed;
stigmas 3.
tepals 3, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 5–6 mm, apex aristate;
style branches spreading;
stigmas 2–3.
usually white or ivory, with reddish or yellowish tint, sometimes dark brown to dark reddish brown, broadly lenticular to elliptic-lenticular, 1.2–1.6 mm diam., smooth or indistinctly punctate.
black or brownish black, subglobose, 1 mm diam., shiny.
obovoid to elongate-obovoid, 2–2.5 mm, smooth or slightly rugose distally, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.
ovoid, 2–2.5 mm, rugose, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.
Amaranthus cruentus
Amaranthus tricolor
Amaranthus cruentus is cultivated as ornamental and pseudocereal almost worldwide from tropical to warm-temperate regions. While reported as naturalized in several states, most specimens identified as this species are referable to A. hybridus or other native species. Escaped plants of A. cruentus sometimes occur near places of cultivation (see note under A. caudatus). No attempt has been made to summarize distribution data for such escapes.
Amaranthus cruentus originated from A. hybridus (most probably in cultivation in Central America), with which it shares almost all major morphologic characteristics. Inclusion of cultivated forms in A. hybridus in a broad sense is thus rather justified. Cultivated species traditionally have been treated as separate taxa in horticultural and agricultural literature, and we prefer to maintain the current convenient usage of these names.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Amaranthus tricolor is widely cultivated as a garden plant for its showy, often variegated, distal leaves of striking colors—red, scarlet, maroon, purple, yellow, cream, and green. Other cultivated varieties with green leaves are sometimes cultivated as a potherb. Escaped plants sometimes occur near places of cultivation; we have no evidence of widespread establishment.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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