Livid Amaranth (Amaranthus Blitum)
Amaranthaceae (Pigweed family)
Group: Dicot (broadleaf)
Annual succulent herb distinguished from most pigweeds by a prostrate to ascending growth habit, native of the Mediterranean region. It is found in almost all disturbed areas, including cultivated fields.
Seedling cotyledon linear, long narrow, smooth. First leaf notched at the tip, hairless, green or purplish. The stem is prostrate and reddish.
Leaves of mature plants are alternate with long stalks, green or purplish in color. Leaf blades are 3/8 to 1-1/4 inches long, usually oval, sometimes slightly broader above the middle. Leaf tips often having notches or clefts.
Stem is prostrate to ascending or erect, simple or branching, stout, smooth up to 3 feet long.
Flowers are green spikes, forming dense clusters in leaf axils or at tips of stems. Male and female flowers are separate but mixed in the clusters. Seeds are very small glossy dark brown to black, flattened, circular, and with a smooth cover.
Roots are fibrous from a taproot.
Propagation is by seed.