Amaranthus palmeri

Palmer's amaranth, Palmer's Amaranth

Family: Amaranthaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Palmer's amaranth is a California native perennial found in the Central Valley, Central Western California, Southern California Coast, Western Transverse Ranges, and Desert regions in disturbed areas and agricultural fields at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering from August to November, this plant produces green flowers in terminal, sometimes drooping inflorescences up to 35 centimeters long. Growing with erect stems 20 to 200 centimeters tall that are branched and nearly hairless, it develops a distinctive structure with flexible green stems. Its leaves are large and variable, ranging from 15 to 150 millimeters long, with ovate to rhombic-ovate blades that have wedge-shaped bases and flat margins. The plant produces small brown to occasionally red-brown fruits containing dark red-brown to black seeds that are smooth and shiny.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, agricultural fields

Bloom period: Aug-Nov

Elevation: < 1200 m

Bioregions: GV, CW, SCo, WTR, D

California counties: Butte, Imperial, Kern, Stanislaus, Ventura, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Yolo, San Diego, Inyo, Marin, Monterey, Calaveras, Orange, Tulare, Fresno, Santa Barbara, Madera, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Colusa, Sacramento

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.