Amaranthus hypochondriacus

Amaranthus hypochondriacus is an ornamental plant commonly known as Prince-of-Wales feather[3] or prince's-feather.[4][5] Originally endemic to Mexico, it is called quelite, bledo[6] and quintonil in Spanish.[7][8]

Amaranthus hypochondriacus
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Amaranthus
Species:	A. hypochondriacus
Binomial name
Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.
Synonyms[2]
List Amaranthus anardana Buch.-Ham. ex Moq. Amaranthus atrosanguineus Moq. Amaranthus aureus Besser Amaranthus bernhardii Moq. Amaranthus flavus L. Amaranthus frumentaceus Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb. Amaranthus hybridus Vell. nom. illeg. Amaranthus hybridus var. erythrostachys Moq. Amaranthus hybridus f. hypochondriacus (L.) H.Rob. Amaranthus hybridus var. hypochondriacus (L.) H.Rob. Amaranthus hybridus subsp. hypochondriacus (L.) Thell. Amaranthus hybridus var. leucocarpus (S.Watson) Hunz. Amaranthus leucocarpus S.Watson Amaranthus leucospermus S.Watson Amaranthus macrostachyus Mérat ex Moq. Amaranthus monstrosus Moq.

In Africa and El Salvador, like many other species in the family Amaranthaceae, it is valued as source of food.[9] The leaves and seeds are very nutritious and have a mild flavor.[10] The seeds also contain phenolic compounds.[11]

In temperate regions, it is cultivated as a half-hardy annual. Numerous cultivars have been selected, of which 'Green Thumb'[12] and 'Pygmy Torch'[13] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It grows best in well-drained soils in full sun, and is suitable for USDA hardiness zones 3–10. It may be susceptible to aphids.[14]

A. hypochondriacus is a vigorous, upright plant that typically reaches 40–200 cm (15–80 in) tall.[10] It is often grown for its flowers, which appear in dense, catkin-like inflorescences in the summer and autumn. They are usually deep purplish-red, but may be yellow-green.[14] These give way to dry fruits, about 1.5–3 mm (1⁄16–1⁄8 in) long, that split open when ripe.[15] The fruits contain smooth, shiny seeds that may be subglobose to lenticular, either whitish-pink or dark reddish-brown to black, and 1–1.4 mm (3⁄64–1⁄16 inch) in diameter.[16] The leaves are simple and alternately arranged, with entire margins.[15] They are rhombic-ovate to broadly lanceolate in shape, about 4–12 cm (1+1⁄2–4+1⁄2 inches) long and 2–7 cm (1–3 inches) wide, borne on long peduncles.[16]

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  Flower of A. hypochondriacus