AMARANTH

Amaranth, is a tall annual with drooping seed heads *that do not necessarly need the support of a stake*. The foliage and large flower heads can be very showy being bright red, gold and purple. Grain amaranth often has white seeds that vary in size and take between four and six months to give a crop; leaf amaranth often bears small, black, shiny seeds. In Australia and New Zealand amaranth is known mainly as a flower and is called Love-Lies-Bleeding and Joseph's Coat. The wild relative "pigweed" (A. powellii & A. retroflexus) can be recognised by its erect spikes on the stem and smaller leaves. In New Zealand a cultivated form of leaf amaranth is called "Tampala".

Plant Names
Botanical Family: 
AMARANTHACEAE
Common Name: 
AMARANTH
Genus: 
Amaranthus
Species: 
spp
About the Name: 

Literally non-fading in Greek. The ancients noted the long-lasting qualities of the flowers and esteemed them as a symbol of immortality.

Origins: 

The highlands of South America. The white-seeded amaranth was once a staple grain of pre-Columbian civilizations which included the Incas, but the Spanish conquistadors forbade its cultivation on the grounds that it was used in sacrificial ceremonies.

Plant Description: 

Amaranth *plant when it goes to seed*, is a tall annual with drooping seed heads *that do not necessarly need the support of a stake*. The foliage and large flower heads can be very showy being bright red, gold and purple. Grain amaranth often has white seeds that vary in size and take between four and six months to give a crop; leaf amaranth often bears small, black, shiny seeds. In Australia and New Zealand amaranth is known mainly as a flower and is called Love-Lies-Bleeding and Joseph's Coat. The wild relative "pigweed" (A. powellii & A. retroflexus) can be recognised by its erect spikes on the stem and smaller leaves. In New Zealand a cultivated form of leaf amaranth is called "Tampala".

Variety Notes: 

There is a wonderful leaf amaranth that grows wherever Greeks have settled. The plant yields masses of leaves that are used as a spinach. When heading, it bears drooping red flowers. A Greek gardener in the Brisbane suburb of West End says that one of her wedding presents was a packet of family heirloom amaranth seeds. She uses it in the traditional Greek dishes calling for spinach. Marie Lee from Pine Creek in the Northern Territory sent us some amaranth seed and said: “In 1933, when I was one year old, an old Chinese lady pulled up some red spinach plants and said "soup for baby" to Mum. She wouldn't hand over the seeds at all, so Mum cut off the tops, planted the bottoms, and off the plant went. It grows in rich, warm, damp soil. When sixty cm (two feet) high, we eat the leaves which have red markings and thick juicy stems. The ball-like seeds grow on the lower stems, whereas they usually appear on the tops.” Chinese cooks on cattle stations in the northern part of Australia left behind interesting strains of vegetables, often including amaranth, and these can still be found today, especially where fresh food is a scarce commodity.

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