Amaranthus arenicola
Family: Amaranthaceae
Description: Dioeciousannual to 1 m or higher with lanceolate, ovate or oblong leaves 2-5 cm long. It produces slender stems, narrow leaves, and small, inconspicuous flowers arranged in panicles. The plant is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers occur on separate individuals. Flowers are mostly spikes. Male tepals 3 mm long.
Field Identification:
Plant Trivia:
Occurrence: Occurring in sandy fields, waste places, and dunal areas. Known from west of Flour Bluff, Padre Island, south of Riviera. It thrives in sandy environments such as sandhills, dunes, riverbanks, lakeshores, and open fields. It is heliophilous (sun-loving) and often found in disturbed or open areas. Native range extends from Iowa, South Dakota, and Wyoming south to Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico.
Bloom Period: April-Dec
Plant Use: As a native annual, sandhill amaranth contributes to sandy ecosystem vegetation, providing habitat and food for insects and small wildlife. Both the leaves and seeds are eaten.
Dichotomous Key for the Genus Amaranthus: Plants of the Coastal Bend of Texas by Roy L. Lehman, Ruth O’Brien & Tammy White.
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