Pile Wort Amaranthus hypochondriacus
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- am-uh-RANTH-us hy-po-kon-dree-AH-kus
- Description
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Amaranthus hypochondriacus, or Prince's Feather, is an herbaceous annual or short-lived perennial plant with showy feathery red flowers often grown as a ornamental. It is commonly viewed as a weed on wasteland as well as on agricultural land. Amaranthus is monoecious (meaning individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). It is pollinated by wind.
Prince's Feather prefers well-drained fertile soil in full sun. It is often cultivated, especially in tropical areas, for its edible leaves and seeds, though it is less often seen in northern climates because it is late maturing.The plant tends to have a clumping habit.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
Aphids may be a problem. Amaranthus are not poisonous, but when grown on nitrogen-rich soils they can concentrate nitrates in the leaves. Nitrates are implicated in stomach cancers, blue babies and other health problems. It is inadvisable, therefore, to eat this plant if it is grown on land where chemical fertilizers are used.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Green Thumb'
Bushy upright annual with large, oblong, purple leaves and erect, plume-like, bright yellow-green flowers.
- 'Green Thumb'
- 'Green Thumb'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Green Thumb'
Bushy upright annual with large, oblong, purple leaves and erect, plume-like, bright yellow-green flowers.
- 'Green Thumb'
- 'Green Thumb'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Amaranthus
- Species:
- hypochondriacus
- Family:
- Amaranthaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Root Cutting
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Central United States, Mexico
- Distribution:
- Central and Southern North America.
- Wildlife Value:
- Attracts beetles.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Edibility:
- Young leaves have a mild flavor when cooked like a spinach. The seed can be eaten raw or cooked or used as a cereal substitute. They can also be popped like popcorn. Avoid ingesting if grown on land where chemical fertilizers are used.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Multi-stemmed
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- White
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Description:
- Seeds can be white, ivory, pinkish white, or black to dark reddish brown, subglobose to lenticular, tiny, smooth, and shiny.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Spike
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Good Cut
- Good Dried
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Flowers appear in dense, erect or pendulous, catkin-like inflorescences in summer and autumn. 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.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Ovate
- Rhomboidal
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Petiole of distal leaves equaling or slightly shorter than blade, becoming longer proximally; blade rhombic-ovate to broadly lanceolate 1 1/2 to 4 inches long by 2 inches wide, larger in robust plants.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Usually erect, green or reddish purple, branched, mainly in inflorescences.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Patio
- Walkways
- Landscape Theme:
- Cottage Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Border
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
