Amaranthus tortuosus Hornem.

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

amaranto, amaranto blanco, bledo, bledo blanco, bledo chico, bledo colorado, bledo colorao, bledo de puerco, bledo hembra, bledo liso, bledo maleza, bledo rojizo, bleo, bleo de puerco, gleo, lirgua, yuyo hembra

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

Amaranthaceae, C. C. Townsend. Flora Zambesiaca 9:1. 1988

Morphology General Habit

Erect annual herb, mostly up to c. 90 cm. (rarely to 1.5 m.) tall.

Morphology Stem

Stem rather slender to stout, usually branched, angular, glabrous or increasingly furnished upwards (especially in the inflorescence) with short to rather long, multicellular hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves glabrous, or thinly and shortly pilose on the inferior surface of the primary venation, long-petiolate (petioles up to c. 8.5 cm. long, sometimes longer than the lamina), lamina ovate or rhomboid-ovate, 1.5–8 (12) × 0.7–5 (8) cm., blunt or retuse at the apex with a distinct, fine mucro formed by the percurrent nerve, cuneate (usually shortly so) at the base; leaf axils without spines.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers green, in the lower part of the plant in axillary clusters 4–10 cm. in diam., towards the ends of the stem and branches the leafless clusters approximated to form simple or (the terminal at least) branched spikes c. 3–15 (25) cm. long and 6–8 (10) mm. wide. Lower clusters of flowers entirely female, the spikes generally showing a few male flowers at the apices only (rarely in more than the apical 1 cm.), occasionally with male flowers also scattered among the lower female flowers.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Bracts and bracteoles deltoid-ovate, pale-membranous with an erect reddish awn formed by the excurrent green midrib, bracteoles somewhat shorter than or subequalling the perianth, rarely slightly exceeding it.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth

Perianth segments (4) 5, those of the female flowers c. 1.5–2.75 mm. long, narrowly oblong or spathulate oblong, obtuse or sometimes (particularly those approaching the male flowers) acute, mucronulate, frequently with a greenish dorsal vitta above; those of the male flowers broadly lanceolate or lanceolate-oblong, generally acuminate, only the thin midrib green.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma

Stigmas 3, flexuose or reflexed, c. 0.75–1 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule subequalling the perianth, ovoid-urceolate, with a short inflated beak below the style base, c. 1.5–1.75 mm., circumcissile, the lid strongly rugulose below the neck.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed 1–1.25 mm., compressed, black, shining, faintly reticulate.

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Erect annual, mostly up to 90(–150) cm, similar in habit to A. spinosus and with similar leaf-size and shape, but often less coarse

Morphology General Spines

Paired axillary spines absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Lower flower clusters axillary, female, 4–10 mm in diam.; upper clusters leafless, forming simple or (the terminal at least) branched spikes 3–15(–25) cm long and 6–8(–10) cm wide, the spikes male for up to c. the apical 1 cm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal

Tepals of female flowers (4–)5, 1.5–2.75 mm, oblong or spathulate-oblong, obtuse or sometimes (especially towards the male flowers) acute, mucronulate, usually with a greenish dorsal vitta above

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma

Stigmas 3

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule ovoid-urceolate, c. 1.5–1.75 mm, with a short inflated beak below the style-base, circumscissile, the lid strongly rugulose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds faintly reticulate, lenticular.

Distribution

S1, 2 of tropical American origin, now widespread in the tropics of both Old and New Worlds.

Note

A. dubius is the only known polyploid Amaranthus, but its origin remains uncertain. Hybrids are said to be frequent where it occurs in association with A. spinosus; the two species are very similar apart from the axillary spines of the latter. Srivasta, Pal & Nair in Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 23: 287–291 (1977) claim that the pollen of A. dubius has larger pores than that of A. spinosus, and that the hybrids are distinguishable by the presence of micrograins among the pollen.

Distribution

Found in Boyacá, Colombia.

Vernacular

Amaranto, Atakco, Bledo, Bledo blanco, Bledo de espina, Bledo rojizo, Bleo, Bleo de puerco, Calalú, Pira, Yuyo

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology

Alt. 0 - 2000 m.

Morphology General Habit

Herb.

Distribution

Native from Colombia.

Vernacular

Atakco.

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Erect herb up to 1 m tall, more or less branched, glabrous or pubescent above

Morphology Leaves

Leaves rhombic-ovate on long, often red petioles, mostly 2–10 cm long, the apex usually acute and mucronate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers greenish, in terminal panicles and dense axillary clusters; perianth of 5 segments; stamens 5

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Utricle with circumscissile dehiscence.

Distribution

Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac. West Indies and continental tropical America, also in tropical Africa.

Ecology

A weed of waste ground.

Note

The weedy, pantropical ‘spiny salalu’ or ‘macca calalu’, Amaranthus spinosus L., has not been recorded from the Cayman Islands, but is to be expected.

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 2000 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba

Conservation

No Evaluada

Use Animal Food

Used to feed pigs when food is scarce (Correa & Bernal 1989).

Use Environmental Pollution Control

Used for phytoremediation of chromium, mercury, arsenic, lead, copper and nickel; bioaccumulator (Mellen 2008).

Use Food

Sold in the markets of Rio de Janeiro (Correa & Bernal 1989).

Use Food Vegetables

Leaves - Used in salads (Correa & Bernal 1989).

Use Medicines Genitourinary System Disorders

Used as a diuretic (Correa & Bernal 1989).

Use Medicines Infections & Infestations

Used in the treatment of fever (Correa & Bernal 1989).

Use Medicines Inflammation

Used in poultices in the treatment of inflamed open wounds (Correa & Bernal 1989).

Use Medicines Skin or Subcutaneous Cellular Tissue Disorders

External use in the treatment of allergic skin problems (Correa & Bernal 1989).

Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders

Medicinal (State of the World's Plants 2016, Instituto Humboldt 2014).