Amaranth

Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth,^[1] is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants. Some amaranth species are cultivated as leaf vegetables, pseudocereals, and ornamental plants. Most of the species from Amaranthus are summer annual weeds and are commonly referred to as pigweed.^[2] Catkin-like cymes of densely packed flowers grow in summer or autumn.^[3] Approximately 60 species are recognized, withinflorescences and foliage ranging from purple and red to green or gold. Members of this genus share many characteristics and uses with members of the closely related genus Celosia.

"Amaranth" derives from Greek ἀμάραντος^[4] (amarantos), "unfading," with the Greek word for "flower," ἄνθος (anthos), factoring into the word's development as "amaranth." The more accurate "amarant" is an archaic variant.

Contents

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• 1Taxonomy
• 2Species
• 3Nutrition
• 4Human uses
  • 4.1History
  • 4.2Seed
  • 4.3Seed flour
  • 4.4Leaves, roots, and stems
  • 4.5Dyes
  • 4.6Ornamentals
• 5Ecology
• 6Myth, legend and poetry
• 7Images
• 8See also
• 9References
• 10Additional reading
• 11External links