Amaranthus viridis
Amaranthus acanthochiton
green amaranth, slender amaranth, tropical green amaranth
greenstripe, greenstripe amaranth
erect, simple or with lateral branches (especially distally), 0.2–1 m. Leaves: petiole 1/2–11/2 as long as blade;
blade rhombic-ovate or ovate, 1–7 × 0.5–5 cm, base rounded, cuneate, or attenuate, margins entire, plane, apex obtuse, rounded, or emarginate, mucronate.
erect, much-branched, 0.1–0.8 m;
proximal branches ascending.
petiole shorter than blade;
blade narrowly linear-lanceolate to linear, 2–8 × 0.2–1.2(–1.7) cm, base narrowly cuneate to narrowly decurrent, margins erose, crispate, or irregularly undulate, apex acute to subobtuse.
of pistillate flowers ovate to lanceolate, 1 mm, shorter than tepals.
completely enfolding flower; of pistillate flowers with prominent excurrent midrib, venation distinct, broadly triangular to deltate, 5+ mm, longer than tepals, margins erose, crenate, or denticulate, apex acute or acuminate; of staminate flowers shorter than tepals, apex acute.
slender spikes aggregated into elongate terminal panicles, also from distal axils, green, leafless at least distally.
terminal spikes, erect, usually stiff.
inconspicuous, mostly at tips of inflorescences;
tepals 3;
stamens 3.
tepals 5, equal or subequal, 2–3 mm, margins erose to denticulate, outer tepals with apex subobtuse to acute-acuminate;
inner tepals with apex distinctly acuminate or mucronulate;
stamens 5.
tepals 3, narrowly elliptic, obovate-elliptic or spatulate, not clawed, ± equal, 1.2–1.7 mm, apex rounded or nearly acute, mucronate or not;
style branches erect;
stigmas 3.
outer tepals rudimentary, less that 1.2 mm;
inner tepals with venation distinct, 3–4(–5) mm, apex acute, with terminal mucro;
style branches spreading;
stigmas 3.
black or dark brown, subglobose to thick-lenticular, 1 mm diam., minutely punctulate, rather dull.
dark reddish brown to brown, 1–1.3 mm diam., shiny.
ovoid to compressed-ovoid, 1–1.6 mm, equaling or slightly exceeding tepals, prominently or faintly rugose, indehiscent.
light brown, elliptic to obovate-elliptic, 2(–2.5) mm, shorter than outer tepals, slightly rugose to smooth.
Amaranthus viridis
Amaranthus acanthochiton
Amaranthus acanthochiton is very different morphologically from other taxa of dioecious amaranths. In its vegetative and floral morphology, it is similar to the monoecious A. fimbriatus, especially in branching habit, narrow linear to linear-lanceolate leaf blade, and broadly spatulate to almost fan-shaped tepals of the pistillate flowers. These species are also similar phytogeographically, occurring within the southwestern part of the United States and neighboring northern Mexico. The “dioecious amaranths” are an artificial and polyphyletic group consisting of at least two (or three) independently evolved lineages roughly corresponding to the sections of subg. Acnida outlined by S. L. Mosyakin and K. R. Robertson (1996).
Amaranthus acanthochiton is critically imperiled in Utah and imperiled in Arizona; its Global Heritage Status Rank is G5 as defined by The Nature Conservancy. Seeds and young leaves of A. acanthochiton were used by Native Americans (Hopi) as food: the seeds cooked as a kind of porridge, and the leaves cooked and eaten as greens or with meat (D. E. Moerman 1998).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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