Amaranthus arenicola
Sand amaranth, Sand Amaranth
(c) Jared Shorma, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Amaranthaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Amaranthus arenicola (Sand amaranth) is a non-native California herb in the Amaranthaceae family, recognized by . Key features: dioecious, sandy habitat, low elevation, nodding terminal spikes.
Sand amaranth is a naturalized plant found in southern California coastal areas, Santa Clara Valley, and southern California in sandy soils at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from August to September, this plant produces green-white flowers in erect to nodding spike-like clusters. Growing with extensively branched stems 10 to 100 centimeters tall, it develops narrow-ovate to elliptic leaves 15 to 75 millimeters long with wedge-shaped bases and flat to wavy margins. Its leaves have distinctive petioles 10 to 70 millimeters long, creating a delicate, multi-branched appearance. The fruit is small, approximately 2 millimeters wide, with a circumscissile opening and smooth, brown seed.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 15 sympatric species. Key features: dioecious, sandy habitat, low elevation, nodding terminal spikes
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sandy soils
Elevation: < 200 m
Outside California: native to central and eastern United States
Bloom period
Amaranthus arenicola blooms Aug-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Celosia: Amaranthus has bristly flower spikes; Celosia has showy velvety flower plumes or crested combs.; vs Rumex: Amaranthus has dense bristly flower clusters; Rumex has flowers in whorls along stems with papery wings on fruits.; vs Salsola: Amaranthus has soft oval leaves and clustered flowers; Salsola has spine-tipped leaves and papery winged fruits.; vs Euphorbia: Amaranthus lacks milky sap and has separate male/female flowers; Euphorbia has milky sap and cup-like flower clusters.; vs Chenopodium: Amaranthus has bristly flower clusters; Chenopodium has mealy-coated leaves and flowers in loose balls.
Frequently asked questions
Is Amaranthus arenicola native to California?
No. Amaranthus arenicola is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Amaranthus arenicola bloom?
Amaranthus arenicola blooms Aug-Sep.
What plant family does Amaranthus arenicola belong to?
Amaranthus arenicola is in the Amaranthaceae family, genus Amaranthus.
What habitat does Amaranthus arenicola grow in?
Amaranthus arenicola grows in Sandy soils.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.