This is the local feral amaranth. I have a little growing now in my garden but these photos are from the neighbor. What you are seeing is the population that remains when they run the mower between the rows of corn. There’s no fertilizer or herbicide or pesticide in this field.
Would seeds from this population be right for the group effort? I will go back and harvest seed soon and I know I will get some for my garden. I’ll plan to set aside some of that seed for the serendipity seed swap box. It will not be a problem to also get more for the exchange. Flavor of the greens is good, although the foliage is relatively small. Maybe that is partly to do with them growing in the shade of the corn but worth mentioning.
I’m new to these plants so I suppose I’m being extra cautious that I’ve got the right thing to contribute.
I’m selecting in my community garden plot for the largest pigweed amaranth each season. The one I didn’t pull this year is over 6’ tall 6’ wide and should give me second gallons of grain.
I justify it as being a food source for birds that I want hanging around to eat bugs the rest of the season. Plus food for me. I eat all the wild amaranth as salad when I pull them.
I have an abundance of “redroot pigweed” every time i tear up a piece of my lawn for gardening. It annoyed me at first but now that I’ve been feeding it to my pigs, I’m starting to appreciate it. I also grow the tall red amaranth with the giant seed heads it’s delicious as a sprout, makes lots of fodder and seeds can be used as a cover crop that happily drills down into hard packed clay soil. I’m going to start letting some of the feral pigweed go to seed in hopes that it will cross with the bigger giant red stuff and self seed everywhere. Is this possible?
If by Feral Pigweed (annoyingly TOO MANY PLANTS SHARE THAT COMMON NAME!), you mean a True Amaranthus species of the Amaranthus subgenus, than yes fully Cross Compatible!
This phylogenic Tree should help you
If you don’t know the species, doesn’t matter as long as you know what subgenus is belongs to, take a Picture of this pigweed & I can ID it for you. Pigweed can literally refers to so many other plants like Quinoa, Lambsquaters, Amaranth, Orach, etc.
It’s a Scientific Family Tree, it shows who’s closely related to who therefore telling you who can cross easily. I’ve studied amaranths & all species basically break down into 2 crossable groups (3rd group is extra), Subgenus Amaranthus (Cultivated Amaranths + all Vertical Wild amaranths with Top Heavy Flowers (Mostly at the top)) & Subgenus Albersia (Tri-color leaf Salad Amaranth + All Tiny Spreading Growth Habbit Weedy Amaranths with no Top Heavy Flowers (Spread out across plant)).
Your “Pigweed” is 100% Easily Crossable with the Domesticated Amaranths. Don’t worry about exact species as too many amranths NOTRIOSLY Hybridize making ID to the exact taxonomic Species pointless. Literally all the Domesticated Species (Except Tri-Color Amaranth) are part of the Hybridus complex (Which means species cross so easily, taxonmist haven’t gotten around to calling it a single species yet).
Regardless, I hope your project goes well! Please do update me on how it goes & Feel free to ask questions if you get stuck
I have pigweed in my garden too. I’m pretty sure some has crossed with larger varieties. I’m selecting for the largest height. Last year the one I let drop seed was the size of a small Christmas tree.
Incredible! I didn’t know the domesticatd Amaranths could get that HUGE! I litterally thought that height was only reserved for Tree Trunk Amaranth (Amaranthus australis)
Those pics look incredible mine are shaped like a Christmas tree and are reaching 6-7’ tall. When I first started selecting they were at most 3’ tall so I feel like this is a good achievement.
