Species name :

Amaranthus blitumL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 990 (1753)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Albersia blitum (L.) Kunth

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [PlantList] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life ]

Plant Family :

Amaranthaceae Juss. (The Amaranth Family)
42 species from the Amaranthaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Purple Amaranth

Maltese name(s) :

Denb id-dib tal-qsari

Status for Malta :

Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492, but usually more recently and spreads rapidly to form large invasive populations to the detriment of native flora or ecosystems

Frequency :

Very Common     Common     Frequent     Scarce     Rare     Very rare     Extinct

Growth form :

Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: THEROPHYTE (annuals)
Germination [info]: Dicotyledon

Legal Protection [link]:

Not Protected by Law (LN200/2011 or LN311/2006)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

May-Nov

Colour of Flowers:

Inconspicuous

Remarks :

Prefers urban places such as Sliema and St. Julians. Distinct from other Amaranthus spp. by its conspicuous notch at the apex of leaves. Leaves of A. viridis also have a notch but very small and not consistent in all leaves.

Habitat in Europe:

Several anthropogenic habitats, esp. old cities, fields and farms

Preferred habitat in Malta:

Horticulture contaminant often in pots and gardens, but also escapes in waysides or field margins.

Botanical Description:

Stems 30-80 cm, procumbent to erect, glabrous. Leaves 2-6 cm, rhombic- to orbicular-ovate, with light or dark spots on the upper surface, subtruncate or emarginate, the margin often undulate. Inflorescence of axillary cymose clusters, forming a dense, more or less leafless spike towards the apex. Bracteoles 1/3-1/2 as long as the perianth, ovate with wide base, acute. Perianth-segments 3(-5), oblong-linear to spathulate. Fruit feebly rugose, without green veins, indehiscent or dehiscing irregularly. Seeds almost as large as the fruit.

Chromosome number:

2n=34

Distributional range:

Naturalized in S. Europe

Native region outside Europe:

(C. & W. North America.)

Distributional map in Europe
and the Mediterranean region (2018):

Occurrences in Europe.
(from Flora Europaea pre year 1993):

Albania, Austria and Liechtenstein, the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Bulgaria, Crete, Czeck Republic and Slovakia, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Hungary, Italy (excl. Sicily and Sardignia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part), Introduced in  Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia and former USSR, Sweden

Occurrences in Europe and the Mediterranean region.
(Euro+Med Checklist, 2017) - Country codes

Ab(A) AE(G) Ag Al Au Az Be(B) Bl(M N) Br Bu Ca Co Cr Ct Eg Ga(F) Ge Gg(A D G) Gr He Hs(G S) Hu It Lu Ma Md dMk Rf(CS) Sa Si(M S) Sl Sn Tn Tu(E) [Au Az(C F G J L M P S T) Be nBH nBu By Ca(C F G H L P T) nCo aDa nEs aFe nGa(F) Ge nGg nHo Hu nIJ nIr nLa nLt nMa Md(M) Mo aNo nPo aRf(C CS E NW S) Rf(K) Rm nSk nSr aSu Sy Uk(K U)]

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