Amaranthus cruentus
Purple amaranth, Purple Amaranth
(c) Oscar Alejandro Morales Juárez, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Amaranthaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Amaranthus cruentus (Purple amaranth) is a non-native California herb in the Amaranthaceae family, recognized by . Key features: many thin flexible lateral branches, colorful inflorescence, cultivated escape.
Purple amaranth is a naturalized plant found in the Great Valley, central Coast Ranges, San Francisco Bay Area, and southern Great Basin in disturbed areas and roadsides at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces dark red to purple flowers in panicle-like terminal inflorescences with thin lateral axes. Growing with ascending or erect stems 3 to 20 decimeters tall, often red-tinged and slightly hairy, it has a branching habit. Its leaves are rhombic-ovate to lanceolate, 25 to 145 millimeters long with wedge-shaped bases and acute tips, carried on petioles 2.5 to 9 centimeters long. The fruit is a circumscissile capsule 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters long, ranging from reddish to brown, containing seeds that can be white to ivory or dark red to black.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 13 sympatric species. Key features: many thin flexible lateral branches, colorful inflorescence, cultivated escape
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas, roadsides
Elevation: < 200 m
Outside California: worldwide cultivated ornamental, pseudocereal and vegetable, occasionally escapes from cultivation, native to Central America
Bloom period
Amaranthus cruentus blooms Jul-Oct.
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 cruentus native to California?
No. Amaranthus cruentus is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Amaranthus cruentus bloom?
Amaranthus cruentus blooms Jul-Oct.
What plant family does Amaranthus cruentus belong to?
Amaranthus cruentus is in the Amaranthaceae family, genus Amaranthus.
What habitat does Amaranthus cruentus grow in?
Amaranthus cruentus grows in Disturbed areas, roadsides.
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.