Amaranthus muricatus
Amaranthus cruentus
African amaranth, muricate amaranth
blood amaranth, caterpillar amaranth, purple amaranth, red amaranth
ascending or prostrate, much-branched from stout rootstock, 0.1–0.4 m.
erect, green or reddish purple, branched distally, mostly in inflorescence, to nearly simple, 0.4–2 m.
petiole to 1/2 as long as blade;
blade linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1.5–8 × 0.2–0.5(–1) mm, base tapering, margins entire, plane to undulate, apex obtuse and often emarginate.
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.
of pistillate flowers linear, 0.7–1.2 mm, 1/2–2/3 as long as tepals.
narrowly spathulate, 2–3 mm, equaling or slightly longer than tepals, apex short-spinescent.
terminal, compact pyramidal panicles and axillary glomerules, erect or reflexed, green, leafless at least distally.
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.
intermixed with pistillate or at tips of inflorescences;
tepals 5;
stamens 5.
at tips of inflorescences;
tepals 5;
stamens (4–)5.
tepals 5, narrowly oblanceolate, not clawed, equal, 1.5–2 mm, apex obtuse or subacute;
style branches erect;
stigmas 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.
black, lenticular, 1–1.2 mm diam., semiglossy.
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.
compressed, subglobose, 1.7–2 mm, ± equaling or slightly exceeding tepals, muricate, indehiscent.
obovoid to elongate-obovoid, 2–2.5 mm, smooth or slightly rugose distally, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.
Amaranthus muricatus
Amaranthus cruentus
The vernacular name “African amaranth” is sometimes used for this species; it is a misnomer; the species is native to South America and naturalized in Africa.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
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