Prostrate Pigweed
Amaranthus albus
Family: Amaranthaceae
What it is like
A common annual weed with mildly flavoured edible leaves used as a spinach substitute rich in vitamins and minerals. The seeds are also edible. Common names include: White Pigweed, Tumble Pigweed, Tumbleweed, Prostrate Pigweed. U.S. name: Prostrate Pigweed. French: Amarante blanche. Spanish: bledo blanco. Portuguese: bredo-branco. German: weißer Fuchsschwanz. Brazilian: carurú-branco. Swedish: vit amarant.
Amaranthus albus is a ANNUAL growing to 0.7 m (2ft 4in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf from May to October, in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.7
Where it is found
Disturbed or waste ground.
Southern N. America. Naturalized or casual in most of Europe.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Leaves and young plant - cooked. A mild flavour, it is rich in vitamins and minerals and is used as a spinach. Seed - raw or cooked. They can be ground into a flour and used to make bread. Very small and fiddly, about 1mm in diameter, but the seed is very nutritious. The seed can be cooked whole, and becomes very gelatinous like this, but it is rather difficult to crush all of the small seeds in the mouth and thus some of the seed will pass right through the digestive system without being assimilated.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 1
Yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
How it is grown
We have very little information on this species but it should succeed as a spring-sown annual in Britain. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a well-drained fertile soil in a sunny position. Requires a hot sheltered position if it is to do well. Plants should not be given inorganic fertilizers, see notes above on toxicity. Most if not all members of this genus photosynthesize by a more efficient method than most plants. Called the 'C4 carbon-fixation pathway', this process is particularly efficient at high temperatures, in bright sunlight and under dry conditions.
Propagating it: Seed - sow late spring in situ. An earlier sowing can be made in a greenhouse and the plants put out after the last expected frosts. Germination is usually rapid and good if the soil is warm. A drop in temperature overnight aids germination. Cuttings of growing plants root easily.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual
Hardiness: 8-10
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
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.
Considered a serious agriculture weed in southern New South Wales, Australia. It may also be weedy or invasive in parts of the US.