2299.000 Amaranthus L.

Description of the genus

Unarmed or spiny, annual, rarely perennial, monoecious herbs. Leaves alternate, long-petiolate, simple and entire or sinuate. Flowers unisexual. Bracts and 2 bracteoles present. Perianth segments (2-)3-5, free or connate at base, membranous. Fruit a capsule, indehiscent, rupturing irregularly or with a circumscissile lid. Seeds usually black and shining.

Worldwide: 60 species, in both tropical and temperate zones

Zambia: 11 taxa.

Insects associated with this genus:
Spoladea recurvalis (Spinach moth) Food plant
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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
dubius Mart. ex Thell.N,EDescription, Image
graecizans L. subsp. graecizans Description
graecizans L. subsp. silvestris (Vill.) BrenanN,E,SDescription, Image
hybridus L.[Agg]N,C,EDescription, Image
hybridus L. subsp. cruentus (L.) Thell.N,C,E
hybridus L. subsp. hybridus N,W,C,E,S
lividus L. subsp. polygonoides (Moq.) ProbstNDescription, Image
retroflexus L.SDescription, Image
spinosus L.B,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
thunbergii Moq.B,N,W,C,SDescription, Image
viridis L.B,N,W,S

Other sources of information about Amaranthus:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Amaranthus
Flora of Burundi: Amaranthus
Flora of Caprivi: Amaranthus
Flora of the DRC: Amaranthus
Flora of Malawi: Amaranthus
Flora of Mozambique: Amaranthus
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Amaranthus
Flora of Rwanda: Amaranthus
Flora of Zimbabwe: Amaranthus

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Amaranthus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Amaranthus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Amaranthus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Amaranthus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Amaranthus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Amaranthus
JSTOR Plant Science: Amaranthus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Amaranthus
Plants of the World Online: Amaranthus
Tropicos: Amaranthus
Wikipedia: Amaranthus

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Nicholas Wightman, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-25

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wightman, N., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2025). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Amaranthus.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=524, retrieved 1 April 2025

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