Amaranthaceae, the amaranth family.
Description:
Plant:
Upright, branching plant, 2'-6' high with smooth stem and leaves, and terminal and axillary,
hairy-looking, spikes or panicles of small greenish flowers.
Presumably has reddish roots. Annual.
Flowers:
Tiny, greenish, 1/8", with 5 spiky, extended sepals that give the spikelike clusters
a coarsely hairy appearance.
Flowers in tight, spikelike clusters or panicles thereof, at ends of branches and in
axils.
Leaves:
Alternate, ovate or rhombic, to about 6", smooth-margined, shiny-green, with medium petioles.
Fruit:
Small, with one black seed.
Blooming:
August-October
Habitat:
Gardens, fields, roadsides, waste areas, disturbed soil.
Comments:
This plant, introduced from tropical America, is usually considered a weed, and
has many common names, including Common Amaranth, Green Amaranth, Redroot Pigweed, and
Rough Pigweed.
The foliage can be eaten as a cooked potherb, though it contains some oxalic acid, and
can be high in nitrates, and should be cooked with a change of water.
The seeds are valuable forage for a variety of birds.
Where to find it:
Mostly in the gardens near the lodge and surrounding weedy areas.