Amaranthus – Cheera, Red Spinach

🌿Plant Care Guide

📝 Description

The genus amaranthus contains about 70 species, which are generally grown for their colourful, edible leaves and long pendulous flowers reminiscent of a fox’s tail. The amaranths originate in tropical asia, but are even to be found in mexico in dry desert areas. In gulf regions, a strain of a. Tricolor with its dark red to purple leaves is often to be seen on farms, and, owing to its copious seed production and easy germination, the plants seem to have escaped their agricultural environment and now appear as ornamental plants in many places. Usually an erect, bushy annual with ovate, pointed to rounded leaves up to 5 cm long, the whitish-green flowers produce very small, black or red-brown seeds. These fast-growing plants can also be grown as perennials, requiring full sun to partial shade, and reach a height of 80 cm. Not very frost hardy, they require water until establishment, but are otherwise quite drought tolerant. Seed should be sown in spring in fertile, well drained garden soil, although they will also do well on poor soils. Plants are subject to attacks by aphids. Amaranthus is used as a leaf vegetable, comparable to spinach: the leaves can be eaten raw or boiled and young stems can be served like asparagus. They also have medicinal properties and are rich in minerals and vitamins. As an ornamental in the garden with its attractive coloured leaves, a. Tricolor makes a great impact in borders or in large planters