Amaranthus standleyanus
Parodi ex Covas
Indehiscent pigweed
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(c) Dewald du Plessis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Dewald du Plessis
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Alex Dreyer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
A frost-tender annual growing to 0.7 m (2 ft 4 in) tall. Features monoecious flowers pollinated by wind with self-fertility capability. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils preferring good drainage. Tolerates mildly acidic, neutral, and basic soils. Requires full sun and moist soil conditions, unable to survive in shade.
Description
A frost-tender annual growing to 0.7 m (2 ft 4 in) tall. Features monoecious flowers pollinated by wind with self-fertility capability. Grows in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils preferring good drainage. Tolerates mildly acidic, neutral, and basic soils. Requires full sun and moist soil conditions, unable to survive in shade.
Edible Uses
Leaves are best cooked and used as a spinach. The seeds can also be cooked, though they are very small and fiddly. Despite being nutritious, cooking them whole makes them gelatinous, and because the tiny seeds are difficult to fully crush in the mouth, some will pass through the digestive system without being assimilated.
Traditional Uses
The leaves are edible cooked. The seeds are ground into flour and cooked. 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. In Argentina it grows up to 500 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Africa, Argentina, Britain, Europe, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain,
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 directly in situ. For an earlier start, sow in a greenhouse and transplant after the last expected frost. Germination is usually rapid and reliable in warm soil, and a drop in temperature overnight can help promote it. Cuttings from 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.
Synonyms
References (5)
- Darwiniana 5:339. 1941
- Magwede, K., van Wyk, B.-E., & van Wyk, A. E., 2019, An inventory of Vhavenḓa useful plants. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 57–89
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 10
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
