Species name :

Amaranthus viridisL.
Published in Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 1405 (1763)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Amaranthus gracilis Desf.

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) :

Slender Amaranth, Green Amaranth, Least Amaranth

Maltese name(s) :

Denb id-dib ħadra

Status for Malta :

Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 and spreads to form established, non-invasive populations. It may become become invasive

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-Dec

Colour of Flowers:

Inconspicuous

Habitat in Europe:

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

Preferred habitat in Malta:

Wasteground, road sides and pathways, disturbed areas, valleys and fallow fields.

Botanical Description:

Stems up to 70 cm, procumbent to erect, glabrous or slightly hairy above. Leaves 3-8 cm, ovate-rhombic, somewhat emarginate, long-petiolate. Inflorescence of axillary cymose clusters, forming a long, slender, terminal spike. Bracteoles 1/3-2/3 as long as the perianth, ovate, acuminate. Perianth-segments 3, ovate-oblong. Fruit about as long as the perianth, subglobose, strongly muricate, dehiscing irregularly, or indehiscent.

Distributional range:

Naturalized or casual in S. Europe

Native region outside Europe:

(South America)

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

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

Introduced in  the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Crete, Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (excl. Sicily and Sardignia), Sicily and/or Malta

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

[Ab(A) nAE AE(G) Ag nAl aAu(A) Az(F) aAz(J M P) aBe(B) nBl Bl(I M N) aBr nBy nCa Ca(C F G H L P T) nCo nCr aCs Ct nCy aDa nEg aFe nGa(F) aGe Gg(A) nGr nHs(S) aHu nIJ nIr nIt Jo nLi nLu nMa nMd Md(M) aNo aPo Rf(CS) aRm nSa Si nSi(M S) nSk Sl nSn Sr nSu Sy nTn Tu(A) nTu(E)]