Amaranthus viridis L.

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

amaranto, ataco, bledo, bledo blanco, bledo chico, bledo manso, bleo, bleo blanco, bleo negro, hierba de puerco

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Naturalizada en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1600 m.; Andes, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba

Conservation

No Evaluada

Ghazanfar, S. A. & Edmondson, J. R (Eds). (2016) Flora of Iraq, Volume 5 Part 1: Elatinaceae to Sphenocleaceae.

Morphology General Habit

Annual herb, erect or more rarely ascending, 10–75(–100) cm

Morphology Stem

Stem rather slender, sparingly to considerably branched, angular, glabrous or more frequently increasingly hairy upwards (especially in the inflorescence) with short or longer and rather floccose multicellular hairs

Morphology Leaves

Leaves glabrous, or shortly to fairly long-pilose on lower surface of primary and most of venation, long-petiolate (petioles to 10 cm and the longest commonly longer than lamina), lamina deltoid-ovate to rhomboid-oblong, 2–7 × 1.5–5 cm, margins occasionally obviously sinuate, shortly cuneate to subtruncate below, obtuse and narrowly to clearly emarginate at tip, minutely mucronulate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers green in slender axillary or teminal, often paniculate spikes 2.5–12 × 2–5 mm, or in lower part of stem in dense axillary clusters to 7 mm in diameter; male and female flowers intermixed but the latter more numerous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Bracts and bracteoles deltoid-ovate to lanceolate-ovate, whitish-membranous with a very short, pale or reddish awn formed by the excurrent green midrib, bracteoles shorter   than   perianth (± 1 m)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth

Perianth segments 3, very rarely 4, those of the male flowers oblong-ovate, acute, concave, 1.5 mm, shortly mucronate; those of the female flowers narrowly oblong to narrowly spathulate, finally 1–2 mm, the borders white-membranous, minutely mucronate or not, midrib green and often thickened above

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma

Stigmas 2–3, short, erect or almost so

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule subglobose, ± 1 mm, not or slightly exceeding perianth, indehiscent or rupturing irregularly, very strongly rugose throughout

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1–1.5 mm, round, only slightly compressed, dark brown to black with an often paler thick border, ± shining, reticulate and with shallow scurfy verrucae on the reticulum, the verrucae with the shape of the areolae.

Ecology

Weed of orchards and date gardens, fields and shady ditches, also on muddy banks of receding river and tidal estuary; alt. up to ± 150 m;

Phenology

Flowering & fruiting: Mar.–May & Aug.–Oct.

Distribution

Iraq: Occasional, locally common, on the alluvial plain in the desert region of Iraq; very rare on the lower margins of  the dry steppe zone. Probably the most cosmopolitan species of the entire genus, found throughout the tropics and subtropics and more tolerant of temperate regions than most of its allies. In the Orient region it has been found in Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Lower Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, N Africa (Libya) and Macaronesia.

Vernacular

HUMATA AL-GHANAM (Ir.-Baghdad, Gillett 8401), KHEIYES (Ir.-Basra, Gillett 10051 – “not eaten by livestock”).

Amaranthaceae, C. C. Townsend. Flora Zambesiaca 9:1. 1988

Morphology General Habit

Short-lived perennial herb (sometimes flowering in first year), erect or more rarely ascending, 10–75 (100) cm.

Morphology Stem

Stem rather slender, sparingly to considerably branched, angular, glabrous or more frequently increasingly (but still rather sparsely) hairy upwards (especially in the inflorescence) with short or longer and rather floccose multicellular hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves glabrous or shortly to fairly long-pilose on the lower surface of the primary or most of the venation, long-petiolate (petioles up to c. 10 cm. long and the longest commonly longer than the lamina), lamina deltoid-ovate to rhomboid-oblong, 2–7 × 1.5–5.5 cm., the margins occasionally obviously sinuate, shortly cuneate to subtruncate below, obtuse and narrowly to clearly emarginate at the apex, minutely mucronate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers green, in slender, axillary or terminal, frequently paniculate spikes c. 2.5–12 cm. long and 2–5 mm. wide, or in the lower part of the stem in dense axillary clusters to c. 7 mm. in diam.; male and female flowers intermixed but the latter more numerous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Bracts and bracteoles deltoid-ovate to lanceolate-ovate, whitish-membranous with a very short pale or reddish awn formed by the excurrent green midrib, bracteoles shorter than the perianth (c. 1 mm. long).

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth

Perianth segments 3, very rarely 4, those of the male flowers oblong-elliptic, acute, concave, c. 1.5 mm. long, shortly mucronate; those of the female flowers narrowly oblong to narrowly spathulate, finally 1.25–1.75 mm. long, the borders white- membranous, minutely mucronate or not, midrib green and often thickened above.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma

Stigmas 2–3, short, erect or almost so.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule subglobose, 1.25–1.75 mm. in diam., not or only slightly exceeding the perianth, indehiscent or rupturing irregularly, very strongly rugose throughout at maturity.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed c. 1–1.25 mm. in diam., circular, only slightly compressed, more or less shining, reticulate and with shallow the verrucae on reticulum, the verrucae with shape of the areolae.

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular

CALALU

Morphology General Habit

Erect herb up to 1 m tall, sparingly branched, nearly glabrous; leaves ovate or rhombic. ovate on long petioles, up to 8 cm long or sometimes much more, the apex blunt and notched, with a small mucro in the notch

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers green, in terminal panicles and axillary spikes or clusters; perianth of 3 segments; stamens 3

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Utricle globose, wrinkled, indehiscent, about as long as the perianth.

Distribution

Grand Cayman. Pantropical.

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean, Orinoquia. Elevation range: 0–1600 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Atlántico, Bolívar, Casanare, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Quindío, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupés.

Habit

Herb.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.

Use Animal Food

Used as animal food.

Use Gene Sources

Used as gene sources.

Use Food

Used for food.

Use Materials

Used as material.

Use Medicines

Medical uses.