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| − | {{otheruses}}
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| − | ''Amarant redirects here, for the [[Final Fantasy IX]] character, see: [[Amarant Coral]]''
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| − | {{Taxobox_begin | color=lightgreen | name= ''Amaranthus''}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_image | image = [[Image:Amaranthus tricolor0.jpg|250px|Amaranthus tricolor]] | caption = ''Amaranthus caudatus'' (Love-lies-bleeding)}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_begin_placement | color = lightgreen}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_regnum_entry | taxon = [[Plant]]ae}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_divisio_entry | taxon = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_classis_entry | taxon = [[Magnoliopsida]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_ordo_entry | taxon = [[Caryophyllales]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox familia entry | taxon = [[Amaranthaceae]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox subfamilia entry | taxon = [[Amaranthoideae]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox genus entry | taxon = '''''Amaranthus'''''}}<br/>{{Taxobox authority new | authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_end_placement}}
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| − | {{Taxobox_section_subdivision | color = lightgreen | plural_taxon = Species}}
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| − | See text
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| − | {{Taxobox_end}}
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| − | The '''amaranths''' (also called '''pigweeds''') comprise the [[genus]] '''''Amaranthus''''', a widely distributed genus of short-lived [[herb]]s, occurring mostly in temperate and tropical regions. Although there remains some confusion over the detailed taxonomy, there are about 60 ''Amaranthus'' species. Several of them are cultivated as [[leaf vegetable]]s, [[cereal]]s, or [[ornamental plant]]s.
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| − | Members of this genus share many characteristics and uses with members of the closely related genus ''[[Celosia]]''.
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| − | ==Cultivation and uses==
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| − | Several species are raised for '''amaranth grain''' in [[Asia]] and the [[Americas]]. Amaranth grain is a crop of moderate importance in the [[Himalaya]]. It was one of the staple foodstuffs of the [[Inca]]s, and it is known as '''kiwicha''' in the [[Andes]] today. It was also used by the ancient [[Aztec]]s, who called it '''huautli''', and other Amerindian peoples in [[Mexico]] to prepare ritual drinks and foods. To this day, amaranth grains are toasted much like [[popcorn]] and mixed with [[honey]] or [[molasses]] to make a treat called ''alegría'' (literally "joy") in [[Mexican Spanish]].
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| − | Amaranth was used in several Aztec ceremonies, where images of their gods (notably [[Huitzilopochtli]]) were made with amaranth mixed with honey. The images were cut to be eaten by the people. This looked like the [[Christian]] [[eucharist|communion]] to the [[Catholic]] priests, so the cultivation of the grain was forbidden for centuries.
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| − | Because of its importance as a symbol of indigenous culture, and because it is very palatable, easy to cook, and its protein particularly well suited to human [[nutrition]]al needs, interest in grain amaranth (especially ''A. cruentis'' and ''A. hypochondriaca'') was revived in the [[1970s]]. It was recovered in Mexico from wild varieties and is now commercially cultivated. It is a popular snack sold on almost every block of [[Mexico City]], sometimes mixed with [[chocolate]] or [[puffed grain|puffed rice]], and its use has spread to [[Europe]] and [[North America]]. Besides [[protein]], amaranth grain provides a good source of [[dietary fiber]] and [[dietary mineral]]s such as [[iron]], [[magnesium]], [[phosphorus]], [[copper]], and especially [[manganese]].
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| − | '''Amaranth greens''', also called '''Chinese spinach''', '''hinn choy''' or '''yin tsoi''' ({{zh-sp|s=苋菜|p=xiàncài}}), '''callaloo''', '''tampala''', or '''quelite''', are a common leaf vegetable throughout the tropics and in many warm temperate regions. They are a very good source of [[vitamin]]s including [[vitamin A]], [[vitamin B6]], [[vitamin C]], [[riboflavin]], and [[folate]], and dietary minerals including [[calcium]], [[iron]], [[magnesium]], [[phosphorus]], [[potassium]], [[zinc]], [[copper]], and [[manganese]]. However their moderately high content of [[oxalic acid]] inhibits the absorption of calcium, and also means that they should be avoided or eaten in moderation by people with [[kidney]] disorders, [[gout]], or [[rheumatoid arthritis]].
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| − | The flowers of the Hopi Red Dye amaranth were used by the Hopi Indians as the source of a deep red dye. This dye has been supplanted by a coal tar dye known as [[Red No. 2]] in North America and E123 in the [[European Economic Community|E.E.C.]], also known as amarynth.
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| − | The genus also contains several well-known ornamental plants, such as ''A. caudatus'' (love-lies-bleeding), a native of [[India]] and a vigorous, hardy annual with dark purplish [[flower]]s crowded in handsome drooping spikes. Another Indian annual, ''A. hypochondriacus'' (prince's feather), has deeply-veined lance-shaped leaves, purple on the under face, and deep crimson flowers densely packed on erect spikes.
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| − | Amaranths are recorded as food plants for some [[Lepidoptera]] species including [[Nutmeg (moth)|The Nutmeg]].
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| − | == Myth, Legend and Poetry ==
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| − | '''Amaranth''', or Amarant (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''amarantos'', unwithering), a name chiefly used in poetry, and applied to Amaranth and other plants which, from not soon fading, typified immortality. Thus, in [[John Milton|Milton's]] [[Paradise Lost]], iii. 353:
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| − | <blockquote>
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| − | :"Immortal amarant, a flower which once
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| − | :In paradise, fast by the tree of life,
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| − | :Began to bloom; but soon for man's offence
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| − | :To heaven removed, where first it grew, there grows,
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| − | :And flowers aloft, shading the fount of life,
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| − | :And where the river of bliss through midst of heaven
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| − | :Rolls o'er elysian flowers her amber stream:
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| − | :With these that never fade the spirits elect
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| − | :Bind their resplendent locks."
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| − | </blockquote>
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| − | It should be noted that the original spelling of the word is amarant; the more common spelling amaranth seems to have come from a [[folk etymology]] that the final syllable derives from the Greek word anthos ("flower"), which enters into a vast number of botanical names.
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| − | In ancient [[Greece]] the amaranth (also called chrusanthemon and elichrusos) was sacred to Ephesian [[Artemis]]. It was supposed to have special healing properties, and as a symbol of
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| − | immortality was used to decorate images of the gods and tombs. In legend, [[Amarynthus]] (a form of Amarantus) was a hunter of Artemis and king of [[Euboea]]; in a village of Amarynthus, of which he was the eponymous hero, there was a famous temple of Artemis Amarynthia or Amarysia (Strabo x. 448; Pausan. i. 31, p. 5).
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| − | ''Amaranth'' is also the name of the otherworldly pantheon that amuses itself by toying with individuals' luck in [[Tim Lebbon]]'s novella "The Unfortunate".
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| − | In [[White Wolf Game Studio]]'s [[Vampire: The Dark Ages]] [[book]]s and [[role-playing game]]s, ''Amaranth'' is the medieval name of what then was widely known as ''[[Diablerie]]'' (consuming the blood and soul of another vampire).
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| − | ''Amarantine'' is the name of a 2005 album and single by Irish vocal artist [[Enya]].
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| − | "Love-Lies-Bleeding" is the title of a 2005 play by [[Don DeLillo]].
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| − | == Selected species ==
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| − | * ''Amaranthus acanthochiton'' (Greenstripe)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus acutilobius'' (Sharplobe Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus albus'' (White Pigweed, Prostrate Pigweed, Pigweed Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus arenicola'' (Sandhill Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus australis'' (Southern Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus bigelovii'' (Bigelow's Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus blitoides'' (Mat Amaranth, Prostrate Amaranth, Prostrate Pigweed)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus blitum'' (Purple Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus brownii'' (Brown's Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus californicus'' (California Amaranth, California Pigweed)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus cannabinus'' (Tidal-marsh Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus caudatus'' (Loves-lies-bleeding, Pendant Amaranth, Tassel Flower, Quilete)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus chihuahuensis'' (Chihuahuan Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus chlorostachys''
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| − | * ''Amaranthus crassipes'' (Spreading Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus crispus'' (Crispleaf Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus cruentus'' (Purple Amaranth, Red Amaranth, Mexican Grain Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus deflexus'' (Large-fruit Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus dubius'' (Spleen Amaranth, Khada Sag)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus fimbriatus'' (Fringed Amaranth, Fringed Pigweed)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus floridanus'' (Florida Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus greggii'' (Gregg's Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus hybridus'' (Smooth Amaranth, Smooth Pigweed, Red Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus hypochondriacus'' (Prince-of-Wales-feather, Princess Feather)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus leucocarpus''
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| − | * ''Amaranthus lineatus'' (Australian Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus lividus''
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| − | * ''Amaranthus mantegazzianus'' (Quinoa de Castilla)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus minimus''
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| − | * ''Amaranthus muricatus'' (African Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus obcordatus'' (Trans-Pecos Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus palmeri'' (Palmer's Amaranth, Carelessweed)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus paniculus'' (Reuzen Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus polygonoides'' (Tropical Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus powelii'' (Green Amaranth, Powell Amaranth, Powell Pigweed)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus pringlei'' (Pringle's Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus pumilus'' (Seaside Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus quitensis'' (Ataco, Sangorache)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus retroflexus'' (Red-root Amaranth, Redroot Pigweed, Common Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus rudis'' (Tall Amaranth, Common Waterhemp)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus scleropoides'' (Bone-bract Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus spinosus'' (Spiny Amaranth, Prickly Amaranth, Thorny Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus standleyanus''
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| − | * ''Amaranthus thunbergii'' (Thunberg's Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus torreyi'' (Torrey's Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus tricolor'' (Joseph's-coat)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus tuberculatus'' (Rough-fruit Amaranth, Tall Waterhemp)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus viridis'' (Slender Amaranth, Green Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus watsonii'' (Watson's Amaranth)
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| − | * ''Amaranthus wrightii'' (Wright's Amaranth)
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| − | == References and external links ==
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| − | {{Commonscat|Amaranthus}}
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| − | * Lenz, ''Botanik der alt. Greich. und Rom.'' Botany of old. (1859)
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| − | * J. Murr, ''Die Pflanzenwelt in der griech. Mythol.'' Plants in Greek Mythology. (1890)
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| − | * [http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/amaranthus_hybridus_thumbnails.htm Amaranthus hybridus]
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| − | * [http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/amaranthus_spinosus_thumbnails.htm Amaranthus spinosus]
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| − | * [http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/600max/html/starr_010520_0109_amaranthus_viridis.htm Amaranthus viridis]
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| − | * [http://flora.huh.harvard.edu:8080/flora/browse.do?flora_id=1&taxon_id=101257 Flora online : Flora of North America]
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| − | * [http://amaranth.twoday.net/topics/Amaranthus+Info/ Amaranthus Info]
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| − | <gallery>
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| − | Image:Amaranthus caudatus1.jpg|Loves-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus)
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| − | Image:Amaranthus.hybridus1web.jpg|Green Amaranth (''A. hybridus'')
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| − | Image:Seabeach Amaranth.jpg|Seabeach amaranth (''A. pumilus''), an [[endangered species]] of amaranth
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| − | Image:Illustration Amaranthus retroflexus0.jpg|Red-root Amaranth (''A. retroflexus'') - from Thomé, ''Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz'' 1885
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| − | Image:Amaranthus.spinosus1web.jpg|Spiny Amaranth (''Amaranthus spinosus'')
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| − | Image:Amaranthus spinosus c.jpg|Callaloo (''Amaranthus spinosus "calaloo"'')
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| − | Image:Amaranthus.viridis1web.jpg|Green Amaranth (''Amaranthus viridis'')
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| − | </gallery>
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| − | [[Category:Caryophyllales]]
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| − | [[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
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| − | [[Category:Cereals]]
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| − | [[Category:Tropical agriculture]]
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| − | [[cs:Laskavec]]
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| − | [[de:Amarant (Lebensmittel)]]
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| − | [[es:Amaranto]]
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| − | [[eo:Amaranto nutraĵa]]
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| − | [[fr:Amarante]]
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| − | [[it:Amaranto (alimento)]]
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| − | [[nl:Amarant (geslacht)]]
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