GREEN AMARANTH

GREEN PIGWEED

Amaranthus hybridus

Goosefoot Family [Amaranthaceae]

month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept

status
statusZneophyte
 
flower
flower8green
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ3
3-(5)
type
typeZspiked
 
stem
stem8round
 
stem
stem8fluted
 
sex
sexZmonoecious
 

12th Sept 2013, near Rogate, Chichester, West Sussex. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The inflorescence spikes are yellowish-green and numerous, on the end of all stems. Grows to 1m in height and is an annual.


12th Sept 2013, near Rogate, Chichester, West Sussex. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The inflorescenses sometimes nod over, not all are more or less upright.


12th Sept 2013, near Rogate, Chichester, West Sussex. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
For obscure reasons although it's specific epithet is hybridus, no one says what it is a hybrid of - possibly nothing. But all other Amaranths are believed to be natural hybrids of this Green Amaranth.


12th Sept 2013, near Rogate, Chichester, West Sussex. Photo: © Dawn Nelson


11th Aug 2007, Renham Down, Shorwell, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone


11th Aug 2007, Renham Down, Shorwell, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone


11th Aug 2007, Renham Down, Shorwell, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone


11th Aug 2007, Renham Down, Shorwell, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
It is almost hairless and the leaves are broad lanceolate but with rounded tips.


11th Aug 2007, Renham Down, Shorwell, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The bracteoles (whichever that are in this photo), are between 1.5 times and twice as long as the perianth (calyx plus corolla). The bracts are between 3 and 5mm long. The longest bracteoles of the female flowers are about twice as long as the perianth.


11th Aug 2007, Renham Down, Shorwell, IoW Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
It is monoecious with separate male and female flowers on each plant. The tepals of the female flowers are all pointed (but don't confuse the tepals with the two kinds of bracts). There are between 3 to 5 tepals which taper to an actute point on each flower on Green Amaranth. Your Author thinks he can see some ovaloid green fruits lurking within all the different green spikes (tepals, bracts and bracteoles). Your Author thinks you would need to pull single flowers off (always use female flowers) to see what's what regarding tepals, bracts and bracteoles, let alone other features.


For distinguishing features, see captions.

No relation to : Pignut (Conopodium majus), Pigmyweed (Crassula aquatica), New-Zealand Pigmyweed (Crassula helmsii), Pigmy Rush (Juncus pygmaeus) nor with Spignel (Meum athamanticum) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families].

It is an introduced and naturalised species which is frequently found as a casual from wool, birdseed soybean waste and many others but rarely becomes naturalised. It can be found as far north in Britain as Central Scotland and also occurs in the IoM and the Channel Islands but is rare in Ireland. It is also found in America from whence it came.

Despite the binomial name Amaranthus hybridus is not a hybrid with anything, but a separate species; botanically it is simply that the naming author thinks that the species is morphologically intermediate between two other plants already described. It only looked as though it was a hybrid of two different (un-named) plants - so the person who named it added the specific epithet 'hybridus to signify that. If it really was a hybrid, then the botanical name would include a '×' between the genus name and the specific epithet. The fact that this '×' is omitted indicates that it only looked like a hybrid, but isn't..


  Amaranthus hybridus  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Amaranthaceae  

Distribution
 family8Goosefoot family8Amaranthaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Amaranthus
Amaranthus
(Pigweeds)

GREEN AMARANTH

GREEN PIGWEED

Amaranthus hybridus

Goosefoot Family [Amaranthaceae]