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Amaranthus hypochondriacus
Species of flowering plant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
_Amaranthus_hypochondriacus_-_Mature_inflorescence_-_Les_Martels,_Giroussens_Tarn.jpg)
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
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