Amaranthus spinosus
Amaranthus spinosus
Safety & Hazards
No members of this genus are known to be poisonous, but when grown on nitrogen-rich soils they are known to concentrate nitrates in the leaves. This is especially noticeable on land where chemical fertilizers are used. Nitrates are implicated in stomach cancers, blue babies and some other health problems. It is inadvisable, therefore, to eat this plant if it is grown inorganically.
Botanical Description
Amaranthus spinosus is an erect, much-branched annual plant growing up to 100cm tall[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of food and medicines. The leaves are occasionally sold as a vegetable in local markets[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. , 1402 Title Ethnomedicinal Uses of Plants in the Plains Area of the Tirunelveli-District, Tamilnadu, India Publication Ethnobotanical Leaflets 12: 1198-1205. 2008 Author Vanila, D., Ghanthikumar, S. and Manickam, V.S. Publisher Year 2008 ISBN Description ]. The plant produces seed prolifically, with almost 250,000 seeds being recorded from one plant. It has spread as a weed of disturbed ground from its original range in the Americas to many other areas of the world[ 305 Title Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Publication Author Website http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands. ]. When the world's worst weeds are ranked on the basis of the number of pests hosted, Amaranthus spinosus is placed number 6, hosting 15 pests that may affect crops[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].