Amaranthaceae
Amaranthus

Amaranthus viridis L.

First published in Sp. Pl., ed. 2.: 1405 (1763)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. Mexico to Tropical America. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Amaranthaceae, C.C. Townsend. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1985

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb, erect or more rarely ascending, 10–75(–100) cm.
Morphology Stem
Stem rather slender, sparingly to considerably branched, angular, glabrous or more frequently increasingly hairy upwards (especially in the inflorescence) with short or longer and rather floccose multicellular hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glabrous or shortly to fairly long-pilose on the lower surface of the primary or most of the venation, long-petiolate (petioles up to ± 10 cm. long and the longest commonly longer than the lamina); lamina deltoid-ovate to rhombic-oblong, 2–7 × 1.5–5.5 cm., the margins occasionally obviously sinuate, shortly cuneate to subtruncate below, obtuse and narrowly to clearly emarginate at the tip, minutely mucronate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers green, in slender axillary or terminal, frequently paniculate spikes ± 2.5–12 cm. long and 2–5 mm. wide, or in the lower part of the stem in dense axillary clusters to ± 7 mm. in diameter; ♂ and ♀ flowers intermixed but the latter more numerous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts and bracteoles deltoid-ovate to lanceolate-ovate, whitish and membranous with a very short pale or reddish awn formed by the excurrent green midrib; bracteoles shorter than the perianth (± 1 mm.).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth-segments 3(–4); ♂ oblong-oval, acute, concave, ± 1.5 mm., shorty mucronate; ♀ narrowly oblong to narrowly spathulate, finally 1.25–1.75 mm., the borders white-membranous, minutely mucronate or not, midrib green and often thickened above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 2–3, short, erect or almost so.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule subglobose, 1.25–1.75 mm., not or slightly exceeding the perianth, indehiscent or rupturing irregularly, very strongly rugose throughout.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed ± 1–1.25 mm., round, only slightly compressed, dark brown to black with an often paler thick border, ± shining, reticulate and with shallow scurfy verrucae on the reticulum, the verrucae with the shape of the areolae.
Figures
Fig. 4/8, 5/5, 6.
Habitat
Weed of cultivation, along roadside, disturbed ground near dwellings, sea-shore; 0–1200 m.
Distribution
practically cosmopolitan in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, penetrating more widely into the temperate regions than many of its allies (as in N. and S. America and in Europe) K7 T3 T4 T6 U2 U4 Z
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
amaranto, ataco, bledo, bledo blanco, bledo chico, bledo manso, bleo, bleo blanco, bleo negro, hierba de puerco
[UNAL]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Naturalizada en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1600 m.; Andes, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Amaranthaceae, C. C. Townsend. Flora Zambesiaca 9:1. 1988

Morphology General Habit
Short-lived perennial herb (sometimes flowering in first year), erect or more rarely ascending, 10–75 (100) cm.
Morphology Stem
Stem rather slender, sparingly to considerably branched, angular, glabrous or more frequently increasingly (but still rather sparsely) hairy upwards (especially in the inflorescence) with short or longer and rather floccose multicellular hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glabrous or shortly to fairly long-pilose on the lower surface of the primary or most of the venation, long-petiolate (petioles up to c. 10 cm. long and the longest commonly longer than the lamina), lamina deltoid-ovate to rhomboid-oblong, 2–7 × 1.5–5.5 cm., the margins occasionally obviously sinuate, shortly cuneate to subtruncate below, obtuse and narrowly to clearly emarginate at the apex, minutely mucronate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers green, in slender, axillary or terminal, frequently paniculate spikes c. 2.5–12 cm. long and 2–5 mm. wide, or in the lower part of the stem in dense axillary clusters to c. 7 mm. in diam.; male and female flowers intermixed but the latter more numerous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts and bracteoles deltoid-ovate to lanceolate-ovate, whitish-membranous with a very short pale or reddish awn formed by the excurrent green midrib, bracteoles shorter than the perianth (c. 1 mm. long).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth segments 3, very rarely 4, those of the male flowers oblong-elliptic, acute, concave, c. 1.5 mm. long, shortly mucronate; those of the female flowers narrowly oblong to narrowly spathulate, finally 1.25–1.75 mm. long, the borders white- membranous, minutely mucronate or not, midrib green and often thickened above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 2–3, short, erect or almost so.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule subglobose, 1.25–1.75 mm. in diam., not or only slightly exceeding the perianth, indehiscent or rupturing irregularly, very strongly rugose throughout at maturity.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed c. 1–1.25 mm. in diam., circular, only slightly compressed, more or less shining, reticulate and with shallow the verrucae on reticulum, the verrucae with shape of the areolae.
[FZ]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular
CALALU
Morphology General Habit
Erect herb up to 1 m tall, sparingly branched, nearly glabrous; leaves ovate or rhombic. ovate on long petioles, up to 8 cm long or sometimes much more, the apex blunt and notched, with a small mucro in the notch
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers green, in terminal panicles and axillary spikes or clusters; perianth of 3 segments; stamens 3
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Utricle globose, wrinkled, indehiscent, about as long as the perianth.
Distribution
Grand Cayman. Pantropical.
[Cayman]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean, Orinoquia. Elevation range: 0–1600 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Atlántico, Bolívar, Casanare, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Quindío, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupés.
Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Uses

Use
Often cultivated as a vegetable.
[Cayman]

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

English
Waterleaf

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0