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Amaranthus viridis
| Common name: |
Calalu |
Family: |
Amaranthaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
58 |
| Synonyms: |
Amaranthus gracilis (Desf.) |
| Known Hazards: |
No members of this genus are known to be poisonous, but when grown on nitrogen-rich soils they are known to concentrate nitrates in the leaves. This is especially noticeable on land where chemical fertilizers are used. Nitrates are implicated in stomach cancers, blue babies and some other health problems. It is inadvisable, therefore, to eat this plant if it is grown inorganically. |
| Range: |
Tropical N. America? Original habitat is obscure. |
| Habitat: |
A weed of waste ground and roadsides but the original habitat is obscure[144]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| A. ascendens[B,G,P]
A. blitum[B,DUTCH,E,G,P]
A. blitum var. oleraceus[G]
A. lividus[B,G,P]
A. lividus ssp. polygonoides[B,P]
A. lividus var. polygonoides[B,P]
A. oleraceus[G]
A. viridus[B]
A. viridus auct. non[P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Baqlat Iamania [E], Bledo [E], Kleine Majer [D], Purple Amaranth [P,B], Slender Amaranth [B,P], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
amara = bitter;
viridis = green;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Caryophyllales. Amaranth family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Algeria; China; India; Venezuela; Wi
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA
PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive. |
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 0.3m. It is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Leaves; Seed.
Leaves - cooked as a spinach[46, 61, 144, 177, 183]. A mild flavour[K].
The leafy stems and flower clusters are similarly used[183]. On a zero
moisture basis, 100g of leaves contains 283 calories, 34.2g protein, 5.3g
fat, 44.1g carbohydrate, 6.6g fibre, 16.4g ash, 2243mg calcium, 500mg
phosphorus, 27mg iron, 336mg sodium, 2910mg potassium, 50mg vitamin A, 0.07mg
thiamine, 2.43mg riboflavin, 11.8mg niacin and 790mg ascorbic acid[218].
Seed - cooked. Very small but easy to harvest and very nutritious. The seed
can be cooked whole, and becomes very gelatinous like this, but it is rather
difficult to crush all of the small seeds in the mouth and thus some of the
seed will pass right through the digestive system without being
assimilated[K]. The seed contains 14 - 16% protein and 4.7 - 7% fat[218]. Composition
- Leaves (Dry weight)
-
In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0
Calories: 283
Protein: 34.2
Fat: 5.3
Carbohydrate: 44.1
Fibre: 6.6
Ash: 16.4
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 2243
Phosphorus: 500
Iron: 27
Sodium: 336
Potassium: 2910
VitaminA: 50
Thiamine: 0.07
Riboflavin: 2.43
Niacin: 11.8
VitaminC: 790
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Astringent; Vermifuge.
A decoction of the entire plant is used to stop dysentery and
inflammation[218].
The plant is emollient and vermifuge[218, 240].
The root juice is used to treat inflammation during urination[272]. It is
also taken to treat constipation[272].
Other Uses
Dye.
Yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[168].
Cultivation details
Prefers a well-drained fertile soil in a sunny position[200]. Requires
a hot sheltered position if it is to do well[K].
Plants should not be given inorganic fertilizers, see notes above on
toxicity.
Cultivated as a food plant in the tropics[46].
Should this plant be called A. caudatus. L. 'Viridis'[200]?
Most if not all members of this genus photosynthesize by a more efficient
method than most plants. Called the 'C4 carbon-fixation pathway', this
process is particularly efficient at high temperatures, in bright sunlight
and under dry conditions[196].
Propagation
Seed - sow late spring in situ. An earlier sowing can be made in a
greenhouse and the plants put out after the last expected frosts. Germination
is usually rapid and good if the soil is warm[133]. A drop in temperature
overnight aids germination[133].
Cuttings of growing plants root easily[206].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Amaranthus blitum (a possible synonym).
References for Amaranthus gracilis (a possible synonym).
References for the family Amaranthaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
A very good pocket guide.
[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[196] Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990 ISBN 0-309-04264-X
An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Amaranthus+viridis
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