Purple Amaranth - Amaranthus cruentus
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Species Description
Stace 4:
Amaranthus cruentus L. (A. hybridus ssp. cruentus (L.) Thell., ssp. incurvatus (Timeroy ex Gren. & Godr.) Brenan, A. paniculatus L.) - Purple Amaranth.
Like A. hybridus but inflorescence often red, bracteoles about 1-1.5x as long as perianth and ; (2n=32, 34). Neophyte-naturalised; fairly frequent casual from several sources, including soyabean waste, very rarely becoming naturalised; scattered in England North to Mid West Yorkshire, Jersey; originated in Central America. Probably the domesticated derivative of A. hybridus.
Key:
- Flowering stems leafless towards apex, the flowers borne in dense spike-like terminal panicles (often also in axillary clusters further back)
- Plant with female (and usually female) flowers
- Tepals (3-)5
- Fruits transversely dehiscent
- Tepals all tapered to acute apex
- Terminal inflorescence often >30cm, heavy, usually brightly (green, red or yellow) coloured; seeds pale or dark brown; bracts not exceeding styles; longest bracteoles of female flowers 1-1.5x as long as perianth
- Inflorescence lax; bracts with slender midrib; styles not thickened at base