AMARANTHUS BLITUM

Family and Genus:- See- AMARANTHACEAE

Common Name:- Guernsey pigweed

Homotypic Synonyms:- Amaranthus graecizans var. blitum, Euxolus blitum,

Glomeraria blitum

Meaning:- Amaranthus (Gr) Unfading, reference to the everlasting flowers.

Blitum (Gr) An ancient Greek name for a kind of spinach.

General description:- Ascending to erect annual.

Stems:-

1)) Up to 80 cm. ascending to erect.

Leaves:-

1) 2-6 cm., rhombic- to- orbicular-ovate, tinged bluish or reddish usually with light or

dark spots on the upper surface, subtruncate or emarginate, margins, narrow,

white, often undulate.

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence, of the axillary cymose clusters, forming a dense, more or less

leafless spike towards the apex.

2) Bracteoles, 1/3-1/2 as long as the perianth, ovate with wide base, acute.

3) Perianth-segments 3, unequal, oblong-linear to spathulate.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 7-2.6(-3.0) mm. feebly rugose. without green veins, indehiscent or

dehiscing irregularly.

2) Seeds, 1.1-1.8 mm, almost as large as the fruit.

Key features:-

1) Capsule feebly rugose, without green veins, indehiscent or dehiscing irregularly.

2) Seeds almost as large as the fruit.

3) Leaves variously speckled.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Cultivated land, roadsides, waste places. 0-200 m.

Distribution:- Probably native to Eurasia, introduced as a weed almost worldwide.

Scattered throughout Greece. Fairly rare on Crete scattered mainly around a few

coastal areas.

Flowering time:- May-Oct.

Photos by:- An Other