Amaranthus hybridus
| Amaranthus hybridus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Amaranthus hybridus (common name: rough pigweed)
Propagation: Seed - sow late spring in situ. An earlier sowing can be made in a greenhouse and the plants put out after the last expected frosts. Germination is usually rapid and good if the soil is warm[1]. A drop in temperature overnight aids germination[1].
Cuttings of growing plants root easily[2].
Cultivation: Prefers a well-drained fertile soil in a sunny position[3]. Requires a hot sheltered position if it is to do well[K].
Plants should not be given inorganic fertilizers, see notes above on toxicity.
Cultivated as a food crop in India[4][5], there are many named forms[6]. This species has the potential, through crossbreeding, of imparting early maturity to the white seeded grain amaranths[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[7].
Range: Tropics. Naturalized in Europe[8].
Habitat: Of uncertain origin, it grows wild in cultivated fields and waste places[9].
Edibility: Leaves and young seedlings - cooked as a spinach, added to soups etc or eaten raw[4][10][11][12][6]. The nutritious leaves have a mild flavour[K].
Seed - raw or cooked[13][4][10][14]. Used as a cereal substitute, the seed is usually ground into a flour for use in porridges, bread etc. It is rather small but easy to harvest and very nutritious[K]. 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].
Medicinal: A tea made from the leaves is astringent[5][15]. It is used in the treatment of intestinal bleeding, diarrhoea, excessive menstruation etc[15][16].
Usage: Yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[17].
Pollinators: Wind, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Monoecious
Known Hazards: No members of this genus are known to be poisonous, but when grown on nitrogen-rich soils they are known to concentrate nitrates in the leaves. This is especially noticeable on land where chemical fertilizers are used. Nitrates are implicated in stomach c
Also Known As: A. chlorostachys.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan, 1987.
- ↑ Larkcom, Joy. Oriental Vegetables. John Murray, 1991.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Popenoe, Hugh. Lost Crops of the Incas. National Academy Press, 1990.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.