SPECIES DESCRIPTION
AMARANTHUS QUITENSIS

Family:- AMARANTHACEAE

Common Names:- Mucronate amaranth

Synonyms:- Amaranthus hybridus subsp. quitensis

Meaning:- Amaranthus (Gr) Unfading, reference to the everlasting flowers.
                  Quitensis (L) From Quito, Ecuador.

General description:- Erect annual.

Stems:-
   a) 30-100 cm.
   b) sparsely pubescent to almost hairless (glabrous).

Leaves:-
   a) 3-8 cm.
   b) long-petiolate.
   c) rhombic-ovate.

Flowers:-
1) Inflorescence:
   a) green with a pale brownish glistening sheen of the male flowers.
   b) terminal spike often not distinctly longer than the usually numerous, patent-
       spreading, dense-flowered lateral branches.
2) Bracteoles:
   a) thin c. 3-4 mm.
   b) 1.2-1.5 times as long as the flowers.
   c) narrowly lanceolate to nearly needle-shaped (acicular).
3) Perianth segments
   a) 5, c. 2 mm.
   b) lanceolate-oblong, the inner ones distinctly obtuse to narrowly spathulate, with
       a green midrib continued into a sharp terminal point (aptical mucro).

Fruit:-
1) Capsule:
   a) somewhat shorter than or equalling the perianth.
   b) weakly wrinkled.
   c) splitting transversely.
2) Seed:
   a) c. 1 mm.
   b) black.

Key features:-
1) Inflorescence not pendent, pale brownish-green, usually with many lateral, patent
branches.
2) Perianth segments not overlapping.

Habitat:- Fields, vegetable gardens and ruderal habitats, mainly in coastal areas. 0-
250 m.

Distribution:- Scattered and fairly rare in Greece. Native of South America.
becoming naturalised in the Mediterranean. On Crete currently known from only two
locations in the east.

Flowering time:- May-Nov

Photos by:- An Other