Dark amaranth

Family Amaranthaceae. The native range of the wild species is unknown.

A sparsely branched annual plant up to 150 cm tall. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, pointed, purple or greenish-purple. Inflorescences - erect, spike-like panicles with an elongated central portion, of various colors but more often purple. In cultivation since 1548. Has a blood-red form (f. sanguineus) - the whole plant is blood-red, the inflorescences drooping.

All parts of the amaranth cultivar 'Green Thumb' are colored in various shades of emerald green. These plants are excellent for filling empty spaces in flower beds, as they blend well in any setting. They are also indispensable for composing bouquets of fresh flowers. With early sowing of seeds, inflorescences reaching 40 cm in length appear on young plants as early as July and continue to form until the frosts. At the end of the season the tassels wither and take on a brown color. This amaranth is a favorite subject of plant designers and floral arrangers, as it is indispensable for making dried bouquets. To make the dried stems look most effective, they should be cut in early summer.

Another popular cultivar is 'Pygmy Torch', called "pygmy" because of the small size of the plants. Its erect dark-purple inflorescences, reaching 40 cm in length, turn chestnut-brown in autumn. With the onset of cool weather the leaf coloration also changes. They become multicolored, and the colors will be brighter if the amaranths are planted in poor soil. Harvested at this time and dried, the stems are very picturesque. They are placed in indoor vases and used as dried bouquets.