''Amaranthus cruentus'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

species that is native from Central Mexico to Nicaragua. It yields a nutritious staple

amaranth grain Species belonging to the genus ''Amaranthus'' have been cultivated for their grains for 8,000 years. Amaranth plants are classified as pseudocereals that are grown for their edible starchy seeds, but they are not in the same Family (biology), bo ...

, being one of three ''

Amaranthus ''Amaranthus'' is a cosmopolitan group of more than 50 species which make up the genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Some names include " prostrate pigweed" and " love lies bleeding". Some amaranth ...

'' species cultivated as a grain source, the other two being ''

Amaranthus hypochondriacus ''Amaranthus hypochondriacus'' is an ornamental plant commonly known as Prince-of-Wales feather or prince's-feather. Originally endemic to Mexico, it is called ''quelite, bledo'' and ''quintonil'' in Spanish. In Africa and El Salvador, like many ...

'' and ''

Amaranthus caudatus ''Amaranthus caudatus'' (also known as ''Amaranthus edulis'' and ''Amaranthus mantegazzianus'') is a species of annual flowering plant. It goes by common names such as love-lies-bleeding, pendant amaranth, tassel flower, velvet flower, foxtail a ...

''. It has several common names, including blood amaranth, red amaranth, purple amaranth, prince's feather, and Mexican grain amaranth.

Description

''Amaranthus cruentus'' is a tall

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), a ...

herb topped with clusters of dark pink flowers. The plant can grow up to 2 m (6 ft) in height, and blooms in summer to fall. It is believed to have originated from ''

Amaranthus hybridus ''Amaranthus hybridus'', commonly called green amaranth, slim amaranth, smooth amaranth, smooth pigweed, or red amaranth, is a species of annual flowering plant. It is a weedy species found now over much of North America and introduced into Europ ...

'', with which it shares many morphological features. The plant is usually green in color, but a purple variant was once grown for use in Inca rituals. height up to 13 feet are found in Wayanad, Kerala.

Uses

This species was in use as a food source in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

as early as 4000 BC. The seeds are eaten as a cereal grain. They are black in the wild plant, and white in the domesticated form. They are ground into flour, popped like

popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns, or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated. The term also refers to the snack food produced by the expansion. It is one of the oldest snacks, with evidence of p ...

, cooked into a

porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

, or made into a

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

called ''alegría''. The leaves can be cooked like

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central Asia, Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed eit ...

, and the seeds can be germinated into nutritious sprouts. While ''A. cruentus'' is no longer a

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

in North and Central America, it is still grown and sold as a

health food A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, macronutrients such as protein, micronutrients such as vitamins, and adequate fibre and food energy. A hea ...

. It is an important crop for subsistence farmers in Africa.Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen. In

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

, red amaranth is used to make ''Lal Bhaji'', a stir-fried dish. In

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, during the month of ''Shravan'', a stir-fried vegetable with just grated coconut is served during festivals. The stem is used in a curry made with ''Vaal''

hyacinth bean ''Lablab purpureus'' is a species of bean in the family Fabaceae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa and it is cultivated throughout the tropics for food.Zuni people The Zuni (; formerly spelled ''Zuñi'') are Native American Pueblo peoples native to the Zuni River valley. The Zuni people today are federally recognized as the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico, and most live in the Pueblo o ...

, the feathery part of a plant is ground into a fine meal and used to color ceremonial bread red. The crushed leaves and blossoms are also moistened and rubbed on cheeks as rouge. In the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh (India), the grain is used to make

kheer Kheer, khir or payasam is a pudding or porridge popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice. It can be additionally flavoured with dried fruits, nuts, cardamom and saffron. Instead of rice, ...

and served mostly as dessert during marriage ceremonies. The flour is also used to make deep-fried chapatis (pole).

Cultivation

''A. cruentus'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant, valued for its feather-like flowering plumes. It is usually grown from seed as a half-hardy annual, that is sown under glass in early spring and planted out in summer. Numerous cultivars have been developed, of which the following have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

: *'Autumn Palette Group' (earth colours – rust, cream, brown) *'Oeschberg' (crimson flowers) *'Velvet Curtains' (deep red/crimson) Image:Amaranthus cruentus 'Oeschberg' Plant 1200px.jpg, ''Amaranthus cruentus'' 'Oeschberg' foliage Image:Amaranthus cruentus 'Oeschberg' Flower 1200px.jpg, ''Amaranthus cruentus'' 'Oeschberg' flowerhead Image:Amaranthus cruentus Foxtail 2.jpg, ''Amaranthus cruentus'' 'Foxtail' flower closeup

References

External links

Jepson Manual treatment

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q159191 cruentus Crops originating from Mexico Plants described in 1759 Flora of Mexico Flora of Central America Plants used in Native American cuisine Pseudocereals Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus