Amaranthaceae FAMILY

Amaranthus thunbergii

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

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 thunbergii is an erect or ascending, annual plant growing around 50cm tall. The stem can simple or branched[ 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 edible leaves and seeds are sometimes gathered from the wild and used locally. They are a popular vegetable in Botswana and also among the Asian population living in South Africa, where the leaves are sometimes sold 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. ],

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate; tropical

Native RangeEastern and southern Africa - tropical areas from Congo to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, south to northern S. Africa.

HabitatWaste and disturbed ground as a weed of cultivation, overgrazed areas, open woodland, frequently where irrigated or in seasonally wet areas along river banks, lake shores, apparently always on light soils (sand, loam ); from sea-level to 1,400 metres[ 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. ]