Amaranthus diacanthus

Rafin.

Amaranthaceae Edible: Seeds, Leaves Potential hazards — see below

No photos yet for Amaranthus diacanthus

Summary

An annual, frost tender plant growing in light, medium, or heavy well-drained soils with mildly acid to mildly alkaline pH. Monoecious, wind-pollinated, and self-fertile. Requires full sun and prefers moist soil.

Description

Edible Uses

Leaves are cooked as a spinach. The seed is very small but easy to harvest, highly nutritious, and rich in starch. It can be cooked whole, becoming very gelatinous in the process, but it is difficult to crush all the tiny seeds in the mouth, meaning some will pass through the digestive system without being fully assimilated.

Traditional Uses

The leaves and seeds are cooked and eaten. CAUTION: This plant can accumulate nitrates if grown with high nitrogen inorganic fertilisers and these are poisonous.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

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 cancers, blue babies and some other health problems. It is inadvisable, therefore, to eat this plant if it is grown inorganically.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant.

Where It Grows

North America, USA,

Cultivation

We have very little information on this species and do not know how well it will grow in Britain, though it should succeed as a spring-sown annual. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a well-drained fertile soil in a sunny position. Requires a hot sheltered position if it is to do well. Plants should not be given inorganic fertilizers, see notes above on toxicity. 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.

Propagation

Sow seed in late spring in situ. Germination is usually rapid and good in warm soil; a drop in temperature overnight aids germination. An earlier sowing can be made in pots in a greenhouse — prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of growing plants root easily.

Other Uses

Yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant. The plant is also used as a dynamic accumulator.

Notes

There are about 60 Amaranthus species.

References (5)

Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 22 (As dinacanthus)
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 47
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Tozer, F., 2007, The Uses of Wild Plants. Green Man Publishing. p 26