About Amaranthus cruentus L.
Amaranthus cruentus L. is a tall annual flowering herb. It is topped with clusters of dark pink flowers, and can grow up to 2 meters (6 feet) in height. It blooms from summer through fall. It is thought to have descended from Amaranthus hybridus, and shares many morphological features with that species. The plant is most commonly green, though a purple variant was historically grown for use in Inca rituals. Individuals reaching up to 13 feet in height have been recorded in Wayanad, Kerala. This species was used as a food source in North America and Central America as early as 4000 BC. Its seeds are eaten as a cereal grain: wild plants produce black seeds, while domesticated plants produce white seeds. Seeds can be ground into flour, popped like popcorn, cooked into porridge, or made into a Mexican confectionery called alegría. Its leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach, and its seeds can be germinated into nutritious sprouts. While A. cruentus is no longer a staple food in North and Central America, it is still grown and sold as a health food, and is an important crop for subsistence farmers in Africa. In Chhattisgarh, red amaranth is used to make Lal Bhaji, a stir-fried dish. In Maharashtra, a stir-fried dish of the plant with grated coconut is served during festivals in the month of Shravan. Its stems are used in a curry prepared with Vaal hyacinth bean. Among the Zuni people, the feathery upper portion of the plant is ground into a fine meal to color ceremonial bread red. Crushed leaves and blossoms are moistened and rubbed on cheeks as rouge. In the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh, India, the grain of A. cruentus is used to make kheer, which is served as a dessert during marriage ceremonies, and its flour is used to make deep-fried chapatis called pole. A. cruentus is also cultivated as an ornamental plant, valued for its feather-like flowering plumes. It is typically grown from seed as a half-hardy annual: seeds are sown under glass in early spring, and seedlings are planted outdoors in summer. Numerous cultivars have been developed, and three of these have earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit: 'Autumn Palette Group', which produces flowers in earth tones including rust, cream, and brown; 'Oeschberg', which bears crimson flowers; and 'Velvet Curtains', which has deep red to crimson growth.
