Scientific Family
Amaranthaceae
Other common names
Watson Wright's amaranth
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
Up to 28 inches
Riparian
Yes
Annual herb, without hairs. Stems erect or ascending, often whitish or tinged with red, simple to sparingly branched, occasionally branched at the base.
Plants mostly without hairs. Stems slender, usually <28 inches tall. Stems and leaves sometimes tinged red or purple. Flowers mostly in terminal or axillary spikes, interrupted and leafy. Sepals narrowed upward. Male and female flowers on same plant.
Habitat
Naturally disturbed habitats, streambanks, canyons, semideserts.
Plant Community
Riparian
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
1600
High elevation
7100
Flower Characteristics
Flowers along the stem toward the end of the plant, mostly leafless. Bracts to 2 times as long as tepals (sepals are like petals), the tip pointed. All flowers have 5 tepals. Female spoon-shaped, narrow, <1/16th inch long. Male has 4 to 5 stamens.
Flower color
Reddish-green
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaf stem shorter than or equaling the blade length. Blade is 1/2 to 2-1/2 inches long, egg-shaped to lance-like, rounded at tip with narrow, straight sides converging at the base.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Small bladder-like thin walled fruit, nearly egg-shaped; smooth or slightly wrinkled, opening along a transverse circular line to release seeds; top opening like a lid. Length less than 1/16th inch, equal or subequal to tepals.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Reddish-brown to black
Lens-shaped, 1/32 inch diameter, smooth and shiny.