Welcome to Catnapin's

Most Excellent Weed Gallery

Pigweed Family - Amaranth (groundcover)

Specimen A

  

Specimen B

        

Amaranthaceae - Amaranth (Pigweed) family
Spreading Pigweed (Prostrate Amaranth) Amaranthus blitoides
Plants usually grow between 1 and 2 foot wide. Leaves and stems are succulent. Leaves are thick and often crossed by a light stripe or edged in white. Stems are reddish. Leafy red flower cluster about 3/4" wide, white flower clusters about 1/2" wide.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, (A) June 2004, (B) September 2006
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Shackelford, Brown, Coke, Nolan, Fisher)

Similar Species

Prostrate Pigweed Amaranthus albus
Minute flowers in tiny clusters at leaf nodes. Lots of branches. Small spatulate leaves with occasional large leaf with long petiole. Tumbleweed form of seed distribution.
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Brown, Coke)

Bonebract Amaranth Amaranthus scleropoides
Minute flowers in large clusters at leaf nodes. Small spatulate leaves with long petiole.
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Nolan)

     

Amaranthaceae - Amaranth (Pigweed) family
Purple Amaranth Amaranthus blitum
Upright plant that survives mowing by becoming prostrate. Leaves have a stem about as long as leaf. Leaves variable: small to large; entire or notched at tip (heart); can have central maroon mark. Flowers a leaf nodes or a terminal spike. Edible leaves. Seedlings can emerge within 5 days of sowing.
Photos taken in Harris County, Texas, June 2010
(Introduced, native of Mediterranean - Harris - not listed in my area)