The wild amaranth (Amaranthus graecizans L.) is an annual, summer growing herb species found in Africa, Asia and Southern Europe. It is mainly used as a vegetable. Its use for fodder (silage) has been reported in Sahelian Africa but information is limited.
Morphology
Amaranthus graecizans is a small (45-70 cm), prostrate or decumbent annual plant. It is often heavily branched from the base. The stems are erect to decumbent, pubescent in distal parts or becoming glabrescent at maturity. Stems and branches are slender to stout, angular in shape. The leaves are simple, spirally arranged, borne on 3-5 cm long petioles. The leaf blade is variable in shape from broadly ovate to narrowly linear lanceolate, 1.2-4.5 cm long × 3-12 (30) mm broad. Inflorescences are green axillary clusters bearing male and female flowers. The upper clusters bear more male flowers than the lower ones. Fruits are dehiscent globose, one-seeded capsules, 2-2.5 mm in diameter. The seeds are black, shiny, lenticular in shape, about 1-1.3 mm (Maundu et al., 2004).
Uses
In tropical Africa, Amaranthus graecizans is mainly harvested from the wild and used as a cooked leaf vegetable or, as it has been reported in Uganda, as a potherb by elder people who appreciate its bitter taste (Hart et al., 2005; Maundu et al., 2004). Because the shoots have many unedible flowers, it is necessary to pick leaves only, a time-consuming activity that hinders its value on the market. The seeds can be ground into flour to make cakes in Mauritania and western USA. The ashes from wild amaranth can be used as a substitute of salt. Like other plants, wild amaranth has some ethnomedicinal applications. In Senegal, it is claimed to have anthelmintic activity (Maundu et al., 2004). It contains many active substances (terpenoids, tannins, etc...) and was shown to have antioxidant properties (Ishtiaq et al., 2014). The use of Amaranthus graecizans forage as silage only has been reported in Sahelian Africa (Bartha, 1970).
