Scientific Family
Amaranthaceae
Synonyms
Amaranthus fimbriatus var. fimbriatus
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Similar species
A. torreyi
Height
1 to 2-1/4 feet
Riparian
No
Annual herb, without hairs; stems erect with lateral, ascending branches, usually branched from base; main and lateral stems sparingly branched or simple.
Male and female flowers on the same plant. Sepals of female flowers often with fringe of hair-like or finger-like projections. Similar to A. torreyi which has shorter, often wider leaves, up to 1 inch wide; petals and sepals with smooth margins.
Habitat
Mostly found in dry, sandy or gravelly slopes, washes and disturbed habitats.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
Flowers in leaf axil clusters and in a terminal spike (unbranched). Female flower petals fan-shaped to broadly spatula-shaped, bend outward, 1/16 to 1/8 inch, margins fringed with hair-like projections. Male flowers rounded at their tips, 2 to 3 stamens.
Flower color
Green and white or pinkish
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
August
Last bloom month
November
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaf stem 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. Leaves linear (narrow) or narrowly lance-like, 3/4 to 2-1/2 inches long, with narrowly straight sides converging at the base; smooth margins and a pointed tip.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Utricles (small bladder-like, thin walled fruit), ovoid, length about 1-1/2 times the width, up to 1/16 inch long, shorter than petals and sepals, wrinkled to nearly smooth, opening along a transverse circular line to release seeds.
Fruit type
Other
Fruit color
Black or dark reddish-brown
Seeds nearly flat and more or less circular, lens-shaped, less than 1/16 inch in diameter; shiny and smooth.