Amaranthus tricolor: Latest Overview and FAQ

Amaranthus tricolor has rather unusual ornamental appeal; it is a foliage plant with fairly distinctive leaves that usually display three different colors, making it highly ornamental. Its cultivation process is relatively simple, and it can be grown as a potted plant or used in landscaping, or planted in lawns and along roadsides together with other flowers and plants to form certain patterns.

Morphological Characteristics

Also known as laolaishao, three-colored amaranth, and laolaijiao, it is an annual herb in the Amaranthaceae family, with a plant height of about 50 cm. The stem is thick and upright, with few branches, densely covered with glandular hairs. The leaves are alternate, with long petioles, ovate or rhombic-ovate. The leaf color is variable; common varieties have three colors: red, yellow, and green, while a few superior varieties are pure yellow or bright red. The best viewing time is from June to October. Although it is a foliage plant, it still flowers; the flowering period is from July to October, but the flowers are small and inconspicuous. The fruiting period is from September to October, and the fruit is ovate. The seeds are glossy black and very small. It is native to the tropical regions of India and distributed in Southeast Asia; it is now widely cultivated in China.

Growth Habits

Amaranthus tricolor is a relatively easy plant to grow. It prefers humid, sunny, and well-ventilated environments. It is drought-tolerant but not cold-tolerant. It has low soil requirements and some alkalinity tolerance, but prefers fertile, loose, well-drained soil. It dislikes waterlogging; excessive water accumulation can cause its root system to rot and die easily. It is afraid of damp heat, and high temperature and high humidity will lead to poor growth. Amaranthus tricolor can be propagated by sowing and cuttings, but sowing is mostly chosen. It can self-sow and reproduce. Sow in the ground in April-May, keep the soil moist, and control the temperature at around 15-20°C. Seedlings will emerge after about a week, and when they grow to 10 cm, they can be potted and planted.

Main Value

Ornamental value: Amaranthus tricolor is an excellent foliage plant. It is suitable for potted cultivation and flowerbed arrangements. It can also be planted in lawns and along roadsides with other flowers and plants to form brilliant patterns. It is also a good cut flower material.

Medicinal value: It is mainly used to treat dysentery, hematemesis, and metrorrhagia, with notable effects on reducing fever and metrorrhagia.

The above is an introduction to Amaranthus tricolor. Amaranthus tricolor seedlings closely resemble amaranth, but in autumn, the lower leaves turn deep purple, while the top leaves become bright red. Because the leaf color change coincides with the season when “wild geese fly south”, it is named Amaranthus tricolor.