View source for Amaranthus cruentus

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Amaranthus cruentus
|accepted_authority=Linnaeus
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=Syst. Nat. ed.
|place=10, 2: 1269. 1759
|year=1759
}}
|common_names=Blood amaranth;purple amaranth;caterpillar amaranth
|basionyms=
|synonyms={{Treatment/ID/Synonym
|name=Amaranthus hybridus subsp. cruentus
|authority=(Linnaeus) Thellung
}}
|hierarchy=Amaranthaceae;Amaranthus;Amaranthus subg. Amaranthus;Amaranthus cruentus
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Amaranthaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Amaranthus]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>subgenus</small>[[Amaranthus subg. Amaranthus]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>species</small>[[Amaranthus cruentus]]</div></div>
|volume=Volume 4
|mention_page=page 423
|treatment_page=
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Plants </b>almost glabrous or slightly pubescent distally, especially when young. <b>Stems</b> erect, green or reddish purple, branched distally, mostly in inflorescence, to nearly simple, 0.4–2 m. <b>Leaves</b>: petiole 1/2 as long as to ± equaling blade; blade rhombic-ovate or ovate to broadly lanceolate, 3–15(–20) × 1.5–10(–15) cm, occasionally larger in robust plants, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margins entire, plane, apex acute or subobtuse to slightly emarginate, with mucro. <b>Inflorescences</b> terminal and axillary, erect, reflexed, or nodding, usually dark red, purple, or deep beet-red, less commonly almost green or greenish red, leafless at least distally, large and robust. <b>Bracts</b> narrowly spathulate, 2–3 mm, equaling or slightly longer than tepals, apex short-spinescent. <b>Pistillate</b> flowers: tepals 5, oblong to lanceolate, not clawed, equal or subequal, 1.5–3 mm, apex acute; style branches erect or slightly reflexed; stigmas 3. <b>Staminate</b> flowers at tips of inflorescences; tepals 5; stamens (4–)5. <b>Utricles</b> obovoid to elongate-obovoid, 2–2.5 mm, smooth or slightly rugose distally, dehiscence regularly circumscissile. <b>Seeds</b> usually white or ivory, with reddish or yellowish tint, sometimes dark brown to dark reddish brown, broadly lenticular to elliptic-lenticular, 1.2–1.6 mm diam., smooth or indistinctly punctate.</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|phenology=Flowering summer–fall.
|habitat=Near places of cultivation
|distribution=Ariz.;Calif.;Conn.;Ill.;Ind.;Ky.;Maine;Md.;Mass.;Mich.;Nebr.;N.H.;N.J.;N.Y.;N.C.;Ohio;Oreg.;Pa.;R.I.;S.C.;Tex.;Utah;Vt.;Wash.;W.Va.;Wis.;Central America;South America;cultivated widely.
|discussion=<p><i>Amaranthus cruentus</i> is cultivated as ornamental and pseudocereal almost worldwide from tropical to warm-temperate regions. While reported as naturalized in several states, most specimens identified as this species are referable to <i>A. hybridus</i> or other native species. Escaped plants of <i>A. cruentus</i> sometimes occur near places of cultivation (see note under <i>A. caudatus</i>). No attempt has been made to summarize distribution data for such escapes.</p><!--
--><p><i>Amaranthus cruentus</i> originated from <i>A. hybridus</i> (most probably in cultivation in Central America), with which it shares almost all major morphologic characteristics. Inclusion of cultivated forms in <i>A. hybridus</i> in a broad sense is thus rather justified. Cultivated species traditionally have been treated as separate taxa in horticultural and agricultural literature, and we prefer to maintain the current convenient usage of these names.</p>
|tables=
|references=
}}<!--

--><!--

-->{{#Taxon:
name=Amaranthus cruentus
|author=
|authority=Linnaeus
|rank=species
|parent rank=subgenus
|synonyms=Amaranthus hybridus subsp. cruentus
|basionyms=
|family=Amaranthaceae
|phenology=Flowering summer–fall.
|habitat=Near places of cultivation
|distribution=Ariz.;Calif.;Conn.;Ill.;Ind.;Ky.;Maine;Md.;Mass.;Mich.;Nebr.;N.H.;N.J.;N.Y.;N.C.;Ohio;Oreg.;Pa.;R.I.;S.C.;Tex.;Utah;Vt.;Wash.;W.Va.;Wis.;Central America;South America;cultivated widely.
|reference=None
|publication title=Syst. Nat. ed.
|publication year=1759
|special status=
|source xml=https://jpend@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation.git/src/f6b125a955440c0872999024f038d74684f65921/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V4/V4_828.xml
|genus=Amaranthus
|subgenus=Amaranthus subg. Amaranthus
|species=Amaranthus cruentus
}}<!--

-->[[Category:Treatment]][[Category:Amaranthus subg. Amaranthus]]