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Amaranthus hypochondriacus
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Amaranthus
Species:	A. hypochondriacus
Binomial name
Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.
Synonyms
List Amaranthus anardana Buch.-Ham. ex Moq. Amaranthus atrosanguineus Moq. Amaranthus aureus Besser Amaranthus bernhardii Moq. Amaranthus flavus L. Amaranthus frumentaceus Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb. Amaranthus hybridus Vell. nom. illeg. Amaranthus hybridus var. erythrostachys Moq. Amaranthus hybridus f. hypochondriacus (L.) H.Rob. Amaranthus hybridus var. hypochondriacus (L.) H.Rob. Amaranthus hybridus subsp. hypochondriacus (L.) Thell. Amaranthus hybridus var. leucocarpus (S.Watson) Hunz. Amaranthus leucocarpus S.Watson Amaranthus leucospermus S.Watson Amaranthus macrostachyus Mérat ex Moq. Amaranthus monstrosus Moq.

Amaranthus hypochondriacus is an ornamental plant commonly known as Prince-of-Wales feather or prince's-feather. Originally endemic to Mexico, it is called quelite, bledo and quintonil in Spanish.

In Africa and El Salvador, like many other species in the family Amaranthaceae, it is valued as source of food. The leaves and seeds are very nutritious and have a mild flavor. The seeds also contain phenolic compounds.

In temperate regions, it is cultivated as a half-hardy annual. Numerous cultivars have been selected, of which 'Green Thumb' and 'Pygmy Torch' 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.

A. hypochondriacus is a vigorous, upright plant that typically reaches 40–200 cm (15–80 in) tall. 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. These give way to dry fruits, about 1.5–3 mm (1⁄16–1⁄8 in) long, that split open when ripe. 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. The leaves are simple and alternately arranged, with entire margins. 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.

• Flower of A. hypochondriacus

References

1. "NatureServe Explorer". Retrieved 2021-05-06.
2. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
3. NRCS. "Amaranthus hypochondriacus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 7 January 2016.
4. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
5. Phillips, Edward (1720). The New World of Words. 7th ed.
6. "Cultivos andinos: Introducción". FAO: Oficina Regional de para América Latina y el Caribe. Archived from the original on 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
7. "Semillas de Amaranto". UNAM: Colección Etnobotánica. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
8. "El amaranto". University of Guadalajara: Centro Universitario de Biológicas y Afropecuarias. Archived from the original on 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
9. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.
10. ^ "Amaranthus hypochondriacus - Useful Tropical Plants". tropical.theferns.info. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
11. Barba de la Rosa, A.P.; Fomsgaard, Inge S.; Laursen, Bente; Mortensen, Anne G.; Olvera-Martínez, L.; Silva-Sánchez, C.; Mendoza-Herrera, A.; González-Castañeda, J.; De León-Rodríguez, A. (2009-01-01). "Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) as an alternative crop for sustainable food production: Phenolic acids and flavonoids with potential impact on its nutraceutical quality". Journal of Cereal Science. 49 (1): 117–121. doi:10.1016/j.jcs.2008.07.012. ISSN 0733-5210.
12. "Amaranthus hypochondriacus 'Green Thumb'". RHS. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
13. "Amaranthus hypochondriacus 'Pygmy Torch'". RHS. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
14. ^ "Amaranthus hypochondriacus (Cocks Comb, Lady Bleeding, Love Lies Bleeding, Pile Wort, Prince-of-Wales Feather, Prince's Feather, Prince's-feather, Red Cocks Comb) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
15. ^ "Amaranthus hypochondriacus (prince's-feather amaranth): Go Botany". gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
16. ^ "Amaranthus hypochondriacus in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2021-05-06.

• Pink, Alfred (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.

External links

• Carl von Linnés digitala växtbibliotek
• PROTAbase on Amaranthus hypochondriacus
• "Amaranthus hypochondriacus". Plants for a Future.

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• NatureServe apparently secure species
• Amaranthus
• Annual plants
• Crops originating from Mexico
• Flora of Mexico
• Garden plants
• Plants described in 1753
• Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
• Amaranthaceae stubs