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Amaranthus spinosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Amaranthus
Species:	A. spinosus
Binomial name
Amaranthus spinosus L.

Amaranthus spinosus, commonly known as spiny amaranth, prickly amaranth or thorny amaranth. It is native to the tropical Americas, but it is present on most continents as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed.

Uses

Dye use

In Cambodia, it is called pti banlar and its ash was historically used as a grey dye for cloth. It had many other uses also, including as food.

Food use

Like several related species, Amaranthus spinosus is a valued food plant in Africa.^[1] It is valued also in Thailand, where it is called Phak Khohm (ผักขม).In Sanskrit it is called Tanduliyaka. In Ayurvedic texts it has been emphasized for its medicinal effects like in lukorrhoea,menorrhagia, indigestion, skin diseases,antidote,urinary diseases etc.^[2]

References

External links

• PROTAbase on Amaranthus spinosus
• Jepson Manual Treatment
• USDA Plants Profile
• Flora of North America

From Wikispecies

Amaranthus spinosus

Taxonavigation

Classification System: APG II (down to family level)

Main Page
Cladus: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiospermae
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: core eudicots
Cladus: Unassigned core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales
Familia: Amaranthaceae
Subfamilia: Amaranthoideae
Genus: Amaranthus
Species: Amaranthus spinosus

Name

Amaranthus spinosus, L.

References

USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, 6 March 2006 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Vernacular names

For more multimedia, look at Amaranthus spinosus on Wikimedia Commons.