spiny amaranth

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• spiny amaranth
• thorny amaranth
• Prickly Callaloo
• Prince-of-Wales-feather
• carelessweed
• edlebur
• needlebur
• prickly amaranth
• prickly calalu
• spiny pigweed
• thorny pigweed
• Needle Burr
• Prickly Careless Weed
• Soldier Weed

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Amaranthus spinosus var. pygmaeus
• Amaranthus spinosus var. basiscissus
• Amaranthus caracasanus
• Amaranthus spinosus var. circumscissus
• Amaranthus coracanus
• Amaranthus spinosus var. indehiscens
• Amaranthus diacanthus
• Amaranthus spinosus var. purpurascens
• Amaranthus spinosus var. rubricaulis
• Amaranthus spinosus var. viridicaulis
• Galliaria spitosa

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. It is further classified within the order Caryophyllales and the family Amaranthaceae. Finally, it is identified as a member of the genus Amaranthus.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific geographical distribution across various regions of the European continent. In Northern Europe, its presence is recorded in the countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Moving southward, the species can also be found within Middle Europe. Specifically, its range extends into the region of Czechia-Slovakia. These locations highlight the plant's ability to inhabit diverse climates from the north to the central parts of the continent.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Amaranthus spinosus is characterized by its remarkable adaptability across diverse landscapes, ranging from sea level to elevations as high as 2000 m AMSL, with a mean elevation of 1800 m AMSL. This species thrives in a wide array of specialized habitats, including Caatinga (stricto sensu), Campinarana, Campo Limpo, Campo Rupestre, Carrasco, and Cerrado (lato sensu), demonstrating a high degree of ecological plasticity. Unlike many other plant species that rely on symbiotic fungal associations for nutrient uptake, this plant does not form mycorrhizal associations.

Elevational range max:

2000 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

1800 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Caatinga (stricto sensu), Campinarana, Campo Limpo, Campo Rupestre, Carrasco, Cerrado (lato sensu)

Mycorrhiza :

no

Genetics

The genetics of Amaranthus spinosus are characterized by a notable degree of chromosomal variation, which is a common feature within the Amaranthaceae family. Specifically, the plant exhibits different karyotypic profiles, with documented chromosome numbers of 32 and 34. This variation in the diploid number suggests a complex evolutionary history that may involve processes such as polyploidy, aneuploidy, or chromosomal rearrangements. Such genomic plasticity likely contributes to the species' ability to adapt to diverse environmental conditions and its widespread ecological success.

Chromosome number :

32, 34

Life history

The life history of Amaranthus spinosus is characterized by an annual lifecycle, meaning it completes its entire developmental process from germination to seed production within a single growing season. As a therophyte, the plant survives the unfavorable seasons primarily in the form of seeds, which remain dormant until environmental conditions become suitable for new growth. Its vegetative structure is deciduous, shedding its foliage as it completes its reproductive phase or responds to seasonal changes. This life strategy allows the species to rapidly colonize disturbed habitats, utilizing its seasonal growth period to maximize biomass and seed output before the onset of senescence.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Amaranthus spinosus is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb and forb. It is a self-supporting, independent plant that does not function as a climber or a parasite. As a terrestrial species, it is neither aquatic nor an epiphyte. In terms of stature, the plant typically reaches a mean height of approximately 0.6 m, though individual specimens can vary significantly in size, with heights ranging from a minimum of about 0.30 m to a maximum of 1.5 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1.5 m

Plant height mean:

0.6 m

Plant height min:

0.304803706 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Amaranthus spinosus is characterized by a highly efficient metabolic framework, most notably its utilization of the C4 photosynthetic pathway, which allows the plant to thrive in high-temperature and high-light environments by minimizing photorespiration. Morphologically, the plant exhibits significant variability in its leaf dimensions, with leaf lengths ranging from a minimum of 1 cm to a maximum of 15 cm. The width of the leaves shows a similar breadth of variation, measuring as narrow as 0.8 cm at the minimum, with a mean width of 1.5 cm, and extending up to a maximum of 6 cm. Furthermore, from a nutritional and symbiotic standpoint, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on the uptake of available nitrogen from the soil rather than through symbiotic relationships with diazotrophic bacteria.

Leaf length max:

15 cm

Leaf length min:

1 cm

Leaf width max:

6 cm

Leaf width mean:

1.5 cm

Leaf width min:

0.8 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C4

Reproduction

The reproduction of Amaranthus spinosus is characterized by a sexual process through bisexual flowers, with asexual reproduction being absent. The flowering period typically begins in July and concludes in October. Pollination is primarily an abiotic process, specifically utilizing wind as the main pollination syndrome. The resulting fruits are dry and indehiscent, ranging in length from a minimum of 0.1 cm to a maximum of 0.15 cm, with a mean length of 0.11 cm. Each fruit is highly prolific, containing more than 1,000 seeds. The seeds themselves are small, with a mean length of 0.8 mm (ranging from 0.8 mm to 1 mm) and a consistent seed volume of 0.18 mm³. In terms of mass, the seeds are lightweight, with a mean mass of approximately 0.000306875 g, ranging from a minimum of 0.00015 g to a maximum of 0.0003 g. Dispersal of these seeds occurs through both hydrochorous (water) and anthropochorous (human) syndromes. Notably, self-fertilization is documented as absent in this species.

Dehiscence :

indehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

hydrochorous

Dispersal syndrome :

anthropochorous

Flowering time :

Jul

Flowering time :

Oct

Fruit dryness :

dry

Fruit length max:

0.15 cm

Fruit length mean:

0.11 cm

Fruit length min:

0.1 cm

Pollination syndrome :

wind

Pollination syndrome :

abiotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Reproduction sexual :

bisexual

Seed length max:

1 mm

Seed length mean:

0.8 mm

Seed mass max:

3e-04 g

Seed mass mean:

0.000306875 g

Seed mass min:

0.00015 g

Seed volume max:

0.18 mm³

Seeds_per_fruit :

>1000

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Amaranthus spinosus has 2 reported plant parts identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, root.

Leaf

1. Frontiers in pharmacology
2. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)
3. Scientific reports
4. Luminescence : the journal of biological and chemical luminescence

Root

1. Journal of young pharmacists : JYP

Chemicals

Amaranthus spinosus has 40 reported phytochemicals identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include IRON, RUTIN, Ash, BETA-SITOSTEROL, Betalains.

IRON

1. Dr. Duke
2. African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines : AJTCAM

RUTIN

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Ash

1. Dr. Duke

BETA-SITOSTEROL

1. Dr. Duke

Betalains

1. Scientific reports

CA

1. Scientific reports

CALCIUM

1. Dr. Duke

CAMPESTEROL

1. Dr. Duke

CU

1. Scientific reports

Chlorophylls

1. Scientific reports

Activities

Amaranthus spinosus has 300 reported activities identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Laxative, 5-HT-Inhibitor.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Scientific reports
3. Luminescence : the journal of biological and chemical luminescence

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Pharmaceutical biology

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Luminescence : the journal of biological and chemical luminescence

Laxative

1. Dr. Duke
2. BMC complementary and alternative medicine

5-HT-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Acidulant

1. Dr. Duke

Aldehyde-Oxidase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Aldose-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Allelochemic

1. Dr. Duke

Allergenic

1. Dr. Duke

Medicinal Uses

Amaranthus spinosus has 19 reported medicinal uses identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include diabetes mellitus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus cereus, Blastocystis hominis, Escherichia coli.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations