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 Leaves Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) |  Plant Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) | | | | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Annual Similar Species: Amaranthus retroflexus, Amaranthus hybridus, Amaranthus rudis
General Desc:
An erect, tall, summer annual with long panicles of small, green, inconspicuous flowers. It is an aggressive, invasive weed native to the desert regions of the southwest.
Identification notes: Male and female flowers on different plants; sepals of female flowers broadened upward, blade noticeably wider than the base and not fringed with hairs. A long leaf stem distinguishes Amaranthus palmeri from other species.
Height:
To 6 feet
Habitat Description: Can occur in non-wetlands and wetlands; roadsides, ditches, fields, arroyos.
Plant Communities:
Desert Scrub, Riparian, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 325 - 3800 feet
Color:
Green
Shape:
Inconspicuous in elongated clusters
Tubular:
N
Flowering Period:
Aug - Nov
Description:
Female plants have a long main terminal flower head, 1-1/2 feet (or more). The inconspicuous flowers have stiff, sharp bracts that give the panicle a prickly feeling when touched.
Leaf Color:
Green
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Triangular
Leaf Margin:
Smooth
Leaf Attachment:
Alternate
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
No
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
2 to 8 inches long. The petioles will be as long (or longer) than the leaf blade; leaves are arranged symmetrically around the stem. Stems are erect, branched, and usually reddish. Roots are mostly taproot and reddish in color.
Fruit Color: Reddish-brown
Fruit Type: Achene
Seed Notes: Shiny, reddish-brown in color; tiny, less than 1/16 inch.
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