Amaranthaceae
Amaranth Family
Amaranthus hybridus
Purple Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus). Closely related species of Amaranthus are notoriously hard to distinguish, and botanists disagree on the classification; Gray regards Amaranthus hypochondriacus as a form of Amaranthus hybridus. At any rate, it is a striking flower, closely related to the garden favorite Love-Lies-Bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus). As distinguishing features of this plant, note the numerous flower stalks from leaf axils up and down the stem, the long petioles (about the length of the leaves), and the thickish inflorescences with a habit of sagging.
Prince’s Feather (Amaranthus cruentus). The deep-purple forms of this plant are often grown in gardens, but they do not confine themselves to where we plant them. Note the blackish-purple color of the leaves, as opposed to the green leaves of Purple Amaranth (A. hypochondriacus).
Pigweed
(Amaranthus retroflexus). It’s easy to
dismiss as just another green weed, but Pigweed is a
close cousin of the cultivated amaranths, of which
various varieties are grown both for their seeds (from
which a flour can be made) and their beauty. If its
flowers were any other color, Pigweed might join the
ranks of the ornamental amaranths.
Amaranthus graecizans