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Common Amaranth
Amaranthus retroflexus
A robust annual weed of disturbed ground, growing knee- to waist-high on a stout, ridged, finely hairy stem that is often flushed pink or red at the base. The dull green leaves are diamond- to oval-shaped on long stalks, and the stem tips and upper leaf axils carry dense, stiff, greenish flower spikes. Young leaves and shoot tips are cooked like spinach, and the tiny black seeds can be threshed and used as a grain.
An introduced annual of warm, disturbed, nutrient-rich ground: allotments, arable field margins, manure heaps, building sites, dockland and pavement edges. Commonest in southern and eastern England, scarce in the north and west, and often appearing from birdseed or imported soil.
Leaves accumulate nitrates on heavily manured or fertilised ground and also contain oxalates, so eat them cooked rather than raw, discard the cooking water, and keep portions moderate — anyone prone to kidney stones may want to avoid it. As a plant of arable margins and allotment paths it is a likely target for herbicide spraying, so check where it has been growing before picking.
Always use more than one reference to confirm a plant. You are responsible for what you choose to forage.
Flower spikes
Dense, stiff, greenish spikes clustered at the top of the stem and in the upper leaf axils, the terminal one short and blunt. The bracts are sharply pointed and prickle when the spike is squeezed — fat-hen's flower clusters, growing in the same ground, are soft and mealy to the touch.
Stem
Stout, ridged and densely covered in short white hairs, especially towards the top, often flushed pink or red low down. Fat-hen's stem is smooth with a white mealy bloom rather than hairy, so a run of the fingers up the stem separates the two.
Leaves
Alternate, on stalks about as long as the blade, diamond to oval, dull green with prominent pale veins beneath and a wavy edge. The tip is usually slightly notched with a tiny bristle sitting in the notch — worth checking with a hand lens.
Root
Pull a whole plant and the taproot is thick and stained pink to red, the origin of the name redroot pigweed. No other common weed of allotment ground combines a red taproot with bristly green flower spikes.
Kitchen use
Cooked leaves are mild and spinach-like with a slight earthiness. Do not judge the plant by a raw nibble — raw leaves taste gritty and are the form in which the oxalate and nitrate load matters most.
Updated 2026-08-08T12:26:10.177Z · Part of the shared Foragers Log catalogue · Vegetable