Panicled amaranth

Family Amaranthaceae. Native to Eastern and Western Asia.

Annual plant. Stems robust, erect, 75–150 cm tall. Leaves elongate-ovate with an extended tip, reddish-brown. Flowers small, red in erect inflorescences. Blooms from June until the first frosts. Fruits abundantly. In cultivation since 1798. It has several forms, of which the most common are: f. cruentus - terminal, nodding, red inflorescences; f. sanguineus - vertical inflorescences with drooping ends; f. nаnа - dwarf form, up to 50 cm tall. In floriculture, dwarf cultivars of this species 25–40 cm tall are more commonly used. The most ornamental among them are the following:

The cultivars 'Roter Dom' and 'Roter Paris' (about 50–60 cm tall) have dark burgundy inflorescences and dark red leaves. Among the most decorative are the dwarf cultivars 'Zwergfachel' with dark red inflorescences and 'Gruene Fackel' with bright green inflorescences. These cultivars reach only 30–35 cm. 'Hot Biscuits' is the tallest cultivar (reaches 100 cm), distinguished by beautiful orange-red inflorescences and green leaves. The cultivar 'Pygmy Torch' is called "pygmy" because of the small size of the plants. Its erect dark-purple inflorescences, reaching up to 60 cm in length, turn chestnut-brown in autumn. With the onset of cool weather the leaf coloration also changes. They become variegated, and the colours will be brighter if amaranths are planted on poor soil. Stems collected at this time and dried are very picturesque.

This species is widely used for designing flower beds and for making bouquets from fresh and dried flowers. The reddish foliage, in which green tones can still be discerned, brings a pleasant harmony to borders arranged in a red color scheme.