What Are the Common Varieties of Amaranth? A Complete Guide
Amaranth is a vegetable grown for its tender leaves. Rich in iron, calcium and other minerals, carotene, vitamin C and other nutrients, it has extremely high nutritional value. A saying goes, "Amaranth in June is as good as eggs; amaranth in July is not to be traded for gold." It is a vegetable people love to eat, and eating it regularly helps boost immunity, aid weight loss and detoxification, and promote growth and development. So what are the common varieties of amaranth? Let's take a look together!
1. Large-leaf red amaranth
The mature plant is about 22 cm tall. The whole plant has 14 leaves; the leaves are relatively large, with the largest leaf 13 cm long and 6 cm wide, long-ovate in shape, with nearly entire leaf margins, dark purplish red, and the edges of the leaf green; the stem is light green, with a purplish red base, and both stems and leaves have short white downy hairs. The stems and leaves of young plants are thick and tender, suitable for cooking, with a distinctive flavor. It is highly heat-tolerant and drought-tolerant, weakly cold-tolerant, and relatively strong in resistance to pests and diseases. Its growth rate is slightly slower than that of round-leaf amaranth, and it can be harvested about 40 days after sowing. The yield is generally about 2500 kg per mu.
2. Round-leaf amaranth
The mature plant is about 22 cm tall. The whole plant has 15 leaves; the largest leaf is 7 cm long and 6 cm wide, ovate-round or round, with nearly entire leaf margins; the upper surface of the leaf is green (or green mixed with purplish red blotches, or entirely dark purplish red), and the underside is powdery green; the petiole and stem are both green (or dark purplish red); both stems and leaves have short white downy hairs. The stems and leaves of young plants are soft and suitable for cooking, with a distinctive flavor. It is highly heat-tolerant and drought-tolerant, weakly cold-tolerant, and relatively strong in resistance to pests and diseases, but it is sometimes prone to white rust. Under warm conditions with sufficient water and fertilizer, it grows rapidly and can be harvested just over 20 days after sowing. Harvesting should be timely, otherwise the fiber content increases and quality declines. The yield is generally 2000 kg per mu.
3. Pointed-leaf red amaranth
The mature plant is about 22 cm tall. The whole plant has 12 leaves; the leaves are relatively narrow and long, with the largest leaf 7 cm long and 3.6 cm wide, broadly lanceolate, grayish green with dark purplish red or entirely dark purplish red, with nearly entire leaf margins; the petiole and stem are both purplish red, and the leaves and stems are covered with short white downy hairs. The young plants have slightly coarse flesh and contain a lot of fiber, suitable for cooking, with a distinctive flavor. It is highly heat-tolerant and drought-tolerant, weakly cold-tolerant, but slightly more cold-tolerant than round-leaf amaranth, and relatively strong in resistance to pests and diseases. Its growth rate is similar to that of large-leaf red amaranth. The yield is 1500 kg per mu.
In summary, if farmers want to grow amaranth, they should choose the amaranth variety they intend to grow well and master the correct amaranth growing techniques and management methods. We hope this article can help everyone.
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