Amaranthus acanthochiton
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| Amaranthus acanthochiton J.D.Sauer |
Amaranthus acanthochiton (Greenstrife), is a species of Amaranthus native to the southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah) and northern Mexico (Chihuahua), growing at altitudes of 1000-2000 m.
It is a herbaceous plant growing to 10-80 cm tall. The leaves are slender, 2-8 cm long and 2-12 mm broad. The flowers are pale green, produced in dense terminal spikes. The seeds are brown, 1-1.3 mm diameter, contained in a 2-2.5 mm achene.
It is critically endangered in Utah, and endangered in Arizona (though no status has been set).
The seeds and young leaves were used by the Hopi Indians as a food source. The seeds were cooked as a form of porridge, while the leaves were used as greens.
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