Arizona Wild Flowers
Wildflower Pictures And Photos

Palmer Amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri

Palmer Amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri

Palmer Amaranth, Terminal Panicle

Palmer Amaranth Panicle Flowers	Palmer Amaranth Panicle Flowers
Amaranth Alegrķa Candy	Amaranth Alegrķa Candy Ready For Market
Hector Junior, Showing Us Alegrķa Candy Cooking Pots	Hector Junior, Showing Us The Amaranth Alegrķa Candy Factory
Amaranth Seeds	Amaranth Alegrķa Candy

Palmer Amaranth Amaranthus palmeri Amaranth Family ( Amaranthaceae ), Palmer Amaranth. Also known as . An erect summer annual that usually reaches 6 1/2 feet tall. Some have been seen as tall as 15 feet. It is considered a weedy herb. However, in Mexico, the seeds are dried, mixed with honey and baked. This produces a very nutritious sweet, food that is very highly prized as a candy in Mexico. We will include photos of such a candy factory in Tlaxcala, near Mexico City. Amaranth was so necessary to both the religion and nutrition of the Aztecs that it was one of the four grains considered as acceptable tribute from outlying parts of the empire, the other three being corn, beans and chia. The Mendocino Codex indicates that the equivalent of the modern measure of 4,000 tons of amaranth a year arrived in Tenochtitlan. The leaves and seeds of the amaranth plant are still characteristic ingredients in Mexican cuisine, especially in the states of Morelos, Mexico, Puebla, Tlaxcala, and particularly Oaxaca, where the plant is widely cultivated as a valuable cash crop, worth four times more per kilo than corn. This is understandable, given the fact that amaranth provides a high quality protein, with a nearly perfect balance of essential amino acids, including abundant lysine and methionine, not found in most grains. We will include photos of an example of such a candy factory in Tlaxcala, Mexico. We will also include the recipe from the owner of the factory, in case you wish to make your own Amaranth Alegrķa Candy. We also are placing a nutrition chart at the bottom of the page. Palmer Amaranth is often confused among the members of the pigweed family, but it is the only one with terminal panicles that are about 18' in length. Height: Up To About 6 1/2' Tall. Flowers: The flowers are small and light green in color. They are found in dense, compact terminal panicles that are 6' to 18' in length. The male and female flowers are found on seperate plants. This plant has pollen which is the cause of a lot of summer and fall hay fever allergies. Blooming Time: June - November. Fruit: Small, dry, one seeded. It is in a single seeded utricle about 2 mm in size, which splits to show a dark - brown to black seed. Leaves: Alternate, simple, lance shaped leaf, 2 to 9 inches long, 2 1/2 inches to 2 1/2 inches wide, green above, with white veins beneath. They are found on one central stem in several lateral branches. Found: Southern USA. Elevation: 100 - 5500 Feet. Habitat: Disturbed soils throughout the southern states of the USA. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken October 13, 2005 In Northwest Glendale.