Amaranthus caudatus

"Kiwicha" redirects here. For the mountain in Peru named Kiwicha, see Kiwicha (Peru).

Love-lies-bleeding
Amaranthus caudatus growing in the Botanical garden, Bremen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Amaranthus
Species:
A. caudatus
Binomial name
Amaranthus caudatus
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Amaranthus abyssinicus L.H.Bailey
    • Amaranthus alopecurus Hochst. ex A.Br. & C.D.Bouché
    • Amaranthus cararu Moq.
    • Amaranthus dussii Sprenger
    • Amaranthus edulis Speg.
    • Amaranthus leucocarpus S.Watson
    • Amaranthus leucospermus S.Watson nom. illeg.
    • Amaranthus mantegazzianus Pass.
    • Amaranthus maximus Mill.
    • Amaranthus pendulinus Moq.
    • Amaranthus pendulus Moq.
    • Euxolus arvensis Rojas Acosta

Amaranthus caudatus (also known as Amaranthus edulis[2] and Amaranthus mantegazzianus[2]) is a species of annual flowering plant. It goes by common names such as love-lies-bleeding,[3] pendant amaranth,[4] tassel flower,[3] velvet flower,[3] foxtail amaranth,[3] and quelite.[citation needed]

To the Quechua people of South America, A. caudatus is referred to as kiwicha, quihuicha, inca jataco; ataco, ataku, sankurachi, jaguarcha (Ecuador), millmi, or coimi.[2] While to the Aymara people, who are native to the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America, A. caudatus is known as qamasa.[2]

Many parts of the plant, including the leaves and seeds, are edible, and are frequently used as a source of food in India as well as in South America, where it is the most important Andean species of Amaranthus, known as kiwicha. (See also amaranth seed and Andean ancient plants.) This species, as with many other amaranths, is originally from the American tropics. The exact origin is unknown, as A. caudatus is believed to be a wild Amaranthus hybridus aggregate. In indigenous agriculture, A. cruentus is the Central American counterpart to South American A. caudatus.

  1. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. 1989 – via National Research Council.
  3. ^ a b c d "Amaranthus caudatus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  4. ^ Akeroyd, Simon (2014). RHS Vegetables for the Gourmet Gardener: Old, new, common and curious vegetables to grow and eat. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 36. ISBN 9781845338862 – via the Internet Archive.