Family:
Amaranthaceae Juss.
Genus:
Amaranthus L.

Amaranthus thunbergii Moq.

This species is accepted, and its native range is Eritrea to S. Africa.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Erect or ascending annual, 15–55(–100) cm
Morphology Stem
Stem slender to stout, simple or branched from the base upwards, glabrous or thinly hairy below, increasingly furnished above with long, multicellular, rather floccose hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves long-petiolate, narrowly or broadly elliptic to rhomboid or spathulate, sometimes purple-blotched blade, obtuse to retuse, glabrous or thinly pilose on the main nerves of the lower surface
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petioles sometimes longer than the (5–)15–45(–60) x (4–)10–30(–40) mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flower clusters all axillary, 6–15 mm in diam., increasingly distant below, male and female flowers intermixed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Tepals 3, male and female ± similar, lanceolate to oblong or rarely narrowly spathulate, 3–6 mm, gradually or more abruptly narrowed to a long colourless awn
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 3
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule pyriform, c. 2.5–3.5 mm, with a short beak, circumscissile, obscurely wrinkled
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds faintly reticulate, lenticular or slightly longer than wide.
Distribution
N1 throughout much of E and C tropical Africa S to Namibia and South Africa, introduced into Australia and hence to Europe as a casual alien.
Ecology
Altitude range 1100–1580 m.

[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb, ascending or erect, simple or branched from the base and frequently also above, reaching 15–55 cm.
Morphology Stem
Stem and branches stout, angular, glabrous or thinly hairy below, upwards increasingly furnished with long, crisped, multicellular, rather flocculent hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glabrous, or thinly pilose on the inferior surface of the primary venation, sometimes with a dark purple blotch, long-petiolate (petioles up to c. 4 cm. long, sometimes longer than the lamina), the lamina narrowly or broadly elliptic to rhomboid or spathulate, c. (5) 15–45 (60) × (4) 10–30 (40) mm., blunt or retuse at the apex with the midrib excurrent in a short mucro, at the base cuneate to attenuate, more or less decurrent along the petiole.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers green, males most frequent at the top of the upper clusters, all in axillary clusters 6–15 mm. across, approximate above, usually increasingly distant towards the base of the stem and branches with male and female flowers intermixed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts and bracteoles deltoid-lanceolate, bracteoles subequalling or shorter than the perianth, pale-membranous, often greenish centrally above, the midrib often excurrent in a long, fine awn often as long as the basal portion, bracteoles shorter (to 2 mm. long), the awn colourless and often more or less reflexed above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth segments 3, similar in male and female flowers, lanceolate to oblong, or in the females rarely narrowly spathulate, 3–6 mm., pale-membranous or (especially in the female flowers) somewhat greenish above, gradually or more abruptly narrowed into the long (0.75–1.5 mm.) awn formed by the excurrent midrib, the latter green but the divergent or flexuose awn colourless above; fruiting female perianth segments slightly accrescent, wider than those of the male flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 3, flexuose or often reflexed, pale, 1.5–2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule ovoid-ellipsoid to pyriform, c. 2.5–3.5 mm. long, with a short beak, circumcissile, membranous, obscurely wrinkled, shorter than the perianth (attaining the base of the aristate apices).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed 1–1.5 mm. across, black or chestnut, shining, feebly reticulate.

[FTEA]

Amaranthaceae, C.C. Townsend. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1985

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb, ascending or erect, simple or branched from the base and frequently also above, 15–55 cm.
Morphology Stem
Stem and branches stout, angular, glabrous or thinly hairy below, upwards increasingly furnished with long crisped multicellular rather flocculent hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glabrous or thinly pilose on the lower surface of the primary nervation, sometimes with a dark purple blotch, long-petiolate (petioles up to ± 4 cm., sometimes longer than the lamina); lamina narrowly or broadly elliptic to rhomboid or spathulate, ± (5–)15–45(–60) × (4–)10–30(–40) mm., blunt or retuse at the apex with the midrib excurrent in a short mucro, at the base cuneate to attenuate, ± decurrent along the petiole.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers green, ♂ flowers most frequent at the top of the upper clusters, all in axillary clusters 6–15 mm. in diameter, usually increasingly distant towards the base of the stem and branches, ♂ and ♀ flowers intermixed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts and bracteoles deltoid-lanceolate, bracts subequalling or slightly exceeding the perianth, pale and membranous, often greenish centrally above, the midrib excurrent in a long fine awn often as long as the basal portion, bracteoles shorter (to 2 mm. long), awn colourless and ± reflexed above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth-segments 3, similar in ♂ and ♀, lanceolate to oblong or rarely narrowly spathulate, 3–6 mm., pale and membranous or (especially in ♀) somewhat greenish above, gradually or more abruptly narrowed into the 0.75–1.5 mm. awn formed by the excurrent midrib, the latter green but the awn colourless above; fruiting perianth-segments slightly accrescent, wider than those of the ♂ flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 3, flexuous or often reflexed, pale, 1.5–2 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule pyriform with a short beak, ± 2.5–3.5 mm., circumscissile, membranous, obscurely wrinkled, shorter than the perianth (attaining ± the base of the aristate tips).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed 1–1.5 mm., black or chestnut, shining, feebly reticulate, Fig. 4/3.
Habitat
Weed of cultivation, grazed grassland, grassland on rocky soil; 1100–1640 m.
Distribution
tropical Africa from Ethiopia and Somalia to Zaire and Angola, through to Namibia and South Africaintroduced into Australia and thence to Europe as a frequent casual wool adventive K4 T7 U1

Native to:

Angola, Botswana, Cape Provinces, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Free State, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Northern Provinces, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Germany, South Carolina, St.Helena

Amaranthus thunbergii Moq. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 13(2): 262 (1849)

Accepted by

  • Bayón, N.D. (2015). Revisión taxonómica de las especies monoicas de Amaranthus (Amaranthaceae): Amaranthus subg. Amaranthus y Amaranthus subg. Albersia. Annals from the Missouri Botanical Garden 101: 261-383. MBG press.
  • Edwards, S., Tadesse, M., Demissew, S. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (2000). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 2(1): 1-532. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 4: 1-559. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14: 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 529. MIM, Deurne.
  • Lambdon, P. (2012). Flowering plants & ferns of St Helena: 1-624. Pisces publications for St Helena nature conservation group.
  • Launert, E. (ed.) (1988). Flora Zambesiaca 9(1): 1-179. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Townsend, C.C. (1985). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Amaranthaceae: 1-136.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Bayón, N.D. (2015). Revisión taxonómica de las especies monoicas de Amaranthus (Amaranthaceae): Amaranthus subg. Amaranthus y Amaranthus subg. Albersia. Annals from the Missouri Botanical Garden 101: 261-383. MBG press.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 4: 1-559. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14: 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Lambdon, P. (2012). Flowering plants & ferns of St Helena: 1-624. Pisces publications for St Helena nature conservation group.
  • Launert, E. (ed.) (1988). Flora Zambesiaca 9(1): 1-179. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Townsend, C.C. (1985). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Amaranthaceae: 1-136.

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by C. C. Townsend [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Cufod., Enumeratio Plantarum Aethiopiae Spermatophyta (Supplement in Bull. Jard. Bot. Brux.) p. 60 (1953).
  • Hauman in Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi, 2: 32 (1951).
  • Moq. in DC., Prodr. 13(2): 262 (1849).

  • Flora Zambesiaca

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  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
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  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
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