- Latin Name: Amaranthus Retroflexus
- Latin Family Name: Amaranthaceae
- Common Name: Redroot Pigweed
- Other Names: Pigweed, red root amaranth, common amaranth, pigweed amaranth, careless weed, green amaranth, Chinaman’s greens, common tumbleweed
Origin:
Native to tropical Latin America, but now widespread in the United States.
Biology:
An annual weed reproducing from seeds that germinate in the spring. Flowering occurs in mid-summer with seed production occurring into late fall. Pigweeds contain nitrates that can be toxic to livestock when eaten.
Identification:
Mature plants are very similar to Smooth Pigweed and Powell Amaranth. Differences may be the hairy stems and multiple branching in the upper part of the stem. Leaves have wavy margins and are dull green above and hairy below, at least along the veins. Flowers are produced as green, inconspicuous flowers in large, dense clusters, that are compact rather than longer-branched as with Smooth Pigweed. There also commonly are small flower clusters in the axils of the lower leaves.
Characteristics Important to Control:
Annual weeds that occur in turf or crops, and prefer coarse, sandy soils.
