| Amaranthus hypochondriacus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Amaranthus |
| Species: | A. hypochondriacus |
| Binomial name | |
| Amaranthus hypochondriacus | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
List
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Amaranthus hypochondriacus is an ornamental plant commonly known as Prince-of-Wales feather [3] or prince's-feather. [4] [5] Originally endemic to Mexico, it is called quelite, bledo [6] and quintonil in Spanish. [7] [8]
In Africa and El Salvador, like many other species in the family Amaranthaceae, it is valued as source of food. [9] The leaves and seeds are very nutritious and have a mild flavor. [10] The seeds also contain phenolic compounds. [11]
In temperate regions, it is cultivated as a half-hardy annual. Numerous cultivars have been selected, of which 'Green Thumb' [12] and 'Pygmy Torch' [13] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It grows best in well-drained soils in full sun, and is suitable for USDA hardiness zones 3–10. It may be susceptible to aphids. [14]
A. hypochondriacus is a vigorous, upright plant that typically reaches 40–200 cm (15–80 in) tall. [10] It is often grown for its flowers, which appear in dense, catkin-like inflorescences in the summer and autumn. They are usually deep purplish-red, but may be yellow-green. [14] These give way to dry fruits, about 1.5–3 mm (1⁄16–1⁄8 in) long, that split open when ripe. [15] The fruits contain smooth, shiny seeds that may be subglobose to lenticular, either whitish-pink or dark reddish-brown to black, and 1–1.4 mm (3⁄64–1⁄16 inch) in diameter. [16] The leaves are simple and alternately arranged, with entire margins. [15] They are rhombic-ovate to broadly lanceolate in shape, about 4–12 cm (1+1⁄2–4+1⁄2 inches) long and 2–7 cm (1–3 inches) wide, borne on long peduncles. [16]
There is near certainty that A. hypochondriacus is the common ancestor to the cultivated species Amaranthus used as a grain or pseudocereal, however the later series of domestication to follow remains unclear. There has been opposing hypotheses of a single as opposed to multiple domestication events of the three grain species. [17] [18] There is evidence of phylogenetic and geographical support for clear groupings that indicate separate domestication events in South America and Central America. [17] A. hybridus may derive from South America, whereas A. caudatus , A. hypochondriacus, and A. quentiensis are native to Central and North America. [17] [18]
Flower of A. hypochondriacus
