Southern amaranth
There are more than a dozen amaranth species in Florida; only three of them are native. This species, a native, is frequent in the brackish and freshwater marshes nearly throughout Florida (Wunderlin, 1998). It is also found in all other states of the southeast, except Georgia and South Carolina (Kartesz, 1999).
View the herbarium specimen image from the University of Florida Herbarium Digital Imaging Projects.
Southern amaranth is an annual to short-lived perennial that commonly grows to heights of 10 feet. The stem is often 6 inches in diameter, or larger, and becomes hollow with age. This plant will flower prodigiously from summer through fall, often producing over 50,000 seeds per plant. Leaves are light to dull green with deep veins. Southern amaranth is common in Florida and across the southern United States.
Very few, if any, negative impacts are associated with this native plant. Management is rarely required or requested.
