Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Amaranthus caudatus - Grain Amaranth
Edible parts - Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable
An annual plant which can be 2 m high and 45 cm across. The stems are angular and it can have a single stem or be branched.
It is often limp in the upper parts. Plants are hairy at first but become smooth. Often they are tinged purple. Leaves are 2-4 cm
long by 0.7-1.6 cm wide on a leaf stalk 0.5-1.5 cm long. Leaves can taper to a tip at the end. They can also thin towards the
base. The veins are pale underneath. The flower clusters are in spikes on the side or top branches. The flowers are sometimes
branched and can droop over. They can be 45 cm long. The fruit is oval. Seed are 1-1.3 mm across.