Amaranthus retroflexus
| Amaranthus retroflexus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Amaranthus retroflexus (common name: 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.
A good companion for potatoes, onions, corn, tomatoes, peppers and aubergines[4][5].
A deep rooted plant, bringing up minerals from lower levels of the soil[5].
Formerly cultivated as a food crop by the N. American Indians[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: Tropical America. A casual in Britain[8].
Habitat: A casual of cultivated land and waste places in Britain[8].
Edibility: Young leaves - raw or cooked as a spinach[9][10][11][6][12]. A mild flavour, it is often mixed with stronger flavoured leaves[13]. Very rich in iron, it is also a good source of vitamins A and C[5].
Seed - raw or cooked[9][14][15][6]. Ground into a powder and used as a cereal substitute[10], it can also be sprouted and added to salads. The seed is very small but easy to harvest and very nutritious. The flavour is greatly improved by roasting the seed before grinding it[13]. It is often added to maize meal[13]. 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[16]. It is used in the treatment of profuse menstruation, intestinal bleeding, diarrhoea etc[16][17][18]. An infusion has been used to treat hoarseness[18].
Usage: Yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[19].
Pollinators: Wind, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
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
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.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Popenoe, Hugh. Lost Crops of the Incas. National Academy Press, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 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.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.