Amaranth in USA kitchens and gardens goes by many names. The same plant might be called pigweed in one state and Love-Lies-Bleeding in the next. Most American farmers and gardeners use two or three names for the same crop. It depends on where they live and what they grow it for.
I once chatted with a southern farmer at a market in Georgia. He pointed to a bed of red blooms and called it "pigweed." The very next week I met a florist in Vermont. She called the same plant "Love-Lies-Bleeding" with no idea it was the same as pigweed. The plant has many faces in the USA.
Amaranth names in the USA fall into three main groups. The food crowd uses "amaranth" or "grain amaranth" for the seeds. The garden crowd loves names like Prince's Feather and Love-Lies-Bleeding. The farm crowd often just says "pigweed" for any type that grows in their fields.
The word "pigweed" came from old farm use of the plant as livestock feed. Hogs and cattle would eat the leaves and stems when other feed ran short. The name stuck for the wild and grown types alike. You will hear it most in the South and the Midwest where farms still use it this way.
Ornamental names trace back to Victorian-era English gardens of the 1800s. "Love-Lies-Bleeding" describes the long drooping red flower spikes. "Prince's Feather" comes from the soft plume-like shape of the blooms. These poetic names crossed the ocean and stuck in American gardens too.
Love-Lies-Bleeding is the most famous name in American flower gardens. The deep red blooms hang down in long ropes that can stretch two to three feet long by late summer. You will find seed packets with this name in most garden centers across the USA.
Modern seed catalogs use fun nicknames for each variety they sell. "Hot Biscuits" has tan-gold blooms. "Golden Giant" reaches 8 feet tall with thick green stems. "Hopi Red Dye" was used by the Hopi people for natural fabric dye. "Coral Fountain" has soft pink flower sprays for cutting bouquets.
Farm and Food Names
- Pigweed: The most common farm term used across the South and Midwest for both wild and grown types of the plant.
- Grain amaranth: Used in health food stores and seed catalogs for the edible seed varieties like A. cruentus.
- Quelite: A Spanish-origin term used in Mexican-American kitchens for the tender green leaves as a cooked vegetable.
Garden and Ornamental Names
- Love-Lies-Bleeding: The classic name for deep red drooping flower spikes that can stretch 2 to 3 feet long.
- Prince's Feather: Named for the soft plume-like shape of the upright bloom heads in many old gardens.
- Joseph's Coat: Used for varieties with bright multi-colored leaves in red, yellow, and green for visual show.
Popular Cultivar Names
- Hot Biscuits: A tan-gold bloom type that grows to 5 feet tall in most home flower beds and borders.
- Golden Giant: A seed-grain type that reaches 8 feet tall with green stems and yellow plumes on top.
- Hopi Red Dye: Named after the Hopi people who used the bright red blooms as natural fabric dye for centuries.
American amaranth has one wild cousin that causes real trouble for farmers. Palmer amaranth grows fast and resists most weed killers. It can choke out corn and soybean fields in just one season. This plant differs from the grown food types like A. cruentus and A. tricolor.
Always check the Latin name on seed packets before you plant. A. cruentus is the main food grain type. A. tricolor is the main leaf green type. A. caudatus gives you the long Love-Lies-Bleeding blooms. The Latin name tells you exactly what you are buying for your garden.
The full story of amaranth in USA spans Native farms, Victorian flower beds, and modern health food stores. The plant fits into many parts of American life. You can grow it for food, beauty, or both at once. Pick the right type for your needs and your garden will thank you all summer long.
Read the full article: Amaranth Plant: Grow Grain, Greens, Beauty
