Amaranthus hypochondriacus

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 2: 991. 1753.

Common names: Prince’s-feather Prince-of-Wales-feather prince’s-feather amarant h
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Mentioned on page 405, 406, 411, 415.

Plants glabrous or moderately pubescent in distal parts, often becoming glabrescent at maturity. Stems usually erect, green or reddish purple, branched, mainly in inflorescences, to nearly simple proximally, 0.4–2 (–2.5) m, coarse. Leaves: petiole of distal leaves equaling or slightly shorter than blade, becoming longer proximally; blade rhombic-ovate to broadly lanceolate 4–12 × 2–7 cm, larger in robust plants, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, narrowly cuneate in distal leaves, margins entire, apex cuneate to obtuse or indistinctly emarginate, mucronulate. Inflorescences predominantly terminal, often with few spikes at distal axils stiff, erect, dark red, purple, or deep beet-red, less commonly yellowish or greenish, leafless at least in distal part, usually robust. Bracts lanceolate to linear-subulate, subspinescent, 3–6 (–8) mm, to 2 times as long as tepals, rigid. Pistillate flowers: tepals usually 5, proximal ones lanceolate, distal ones narrowly ovate-elliptic to elliptic, not clawed, unequal to occasionally subequal, 1.3–3 (–3.5) mm, apex acute; style-branches spreading; stigmas 3. Staminate flowers clustered at tips of inflorescence branches; tepals 3–5; stamens 3–5. Utricles compressed-ovoid to elongate-ovoid, (1.5–) 2–3 mm, equaling tepals or nearly so, smooth or lid slightly rugose or minutely verrucose, dehiscence regularly circumscissile. Seeds white, ivory, pinkish white, or black to dark reddish-brown, subglobose to lenticular, 1–1.4 mm diam., smooth, shiny.


Phenology: Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat: Near places of cultivation

Distribution

Ariz., Mass., Mich., Nebr., N.Mex., N.Y., Tex., Utah, W.Va., Wis., cultivated widely

Discussion

Amaranthus hypochondriacus and its hybrids are widely cultivated as ornamental, pseudocereal, and fodder crops in many tropical to warm-temperate regions of the world. Occasionally, A. hypochondriacus occurs as escapes near the places of cultivation; there are no reliable reports of its successful naturalization in the flora area.

The wild progenitor of Amaranthus hypochondriacus seems to be A. powellii (J. D. Sauer 1967b); hybridization with other cultivated taxa (e.g., A. cruentus) probably also played some role. The initial cultivated form probably emerged in southwestern North America, within the original range of native A. powellii.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"-2timesaslongastepals" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

acute;mucronulate;cuneate;obtuse or indistinctly emarginate +
Sergei L. Mosyakin +  and Kenneth R. Robertson +
Linnaeus +
cuneate +  and broadly cuneate +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
rhombic-ovate +  and broadly lanceolate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
subspinescent +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
persistent +
lanceolate +  and linear-subulate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
Prince’s-feather +, Prince-of-Wales-feather +  and prince’s-feather amarant h +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
Ariz. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Nebr. +, N.Mex. +, N.Y. +, Tex. +, Utah +, W.Va. +, Wis. +  and cultivated widely +
peripheral +
staminate +  and pistillate +
hypogynous +
minute +  and small +
not +  and dehiscent +
Near places of cultivation +
greenish +, yellowish +, beet-red +, deep +, purple +  and dark red +
reduced +
circumscissile +
verrucose +  and rugose +
crispate +, undulate +, plane +  and entire +
scarious +  and membranaceous +
cylindric +
Flowering summer–fall. +
rudimentary +
black +  and dark reddish-brown +
1mm;1.4mm +
subglobose +  and lenticular +
cylindric +
simple +  and branched +
200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br /> (250 cm2,500 mm <br />2.5 m <br />) +
reddish purple +  and green +
prostrate +  and decumbent +
40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br /> (200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br />) +
not fleshy +
slender +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Acanthochiton +, Acnida +, Albersia +, Amblogyna +, Euxolus +, Mengea +, Sarratia +  and Scleropus +
Amaranthus hypochondriacus +
Amaranthus subg. Amaranthus +
species +
distinct +
subequal +
indurate +, membranaceous +, chartaceous +  and scarious +
walled +  and 3(-5)-veined +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
tuberculate +  and rugose +
compressed-ovoid +  and elongate-ovoid +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
membranaceous +
glabrescent +, pubescent +  and glabrous +