Slender Amaranth
Amaranthus viridis
Slender Amaranth (Amaranthus viridis), also called green amaranth or wild amaranth, is one of the most widely consumed wild leaf vegetables across the tropical world. Found growing as a common weed on every inhabited continent, its tender green leaves and young stems are harvested daily from gardens, roadsides, and vacant lots from Lagos to Manila. While Western gardeners pull it up as a weed, millions of families across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean depend on it as an essential, free source of nutritious greens.
• One of the most widely distributed leaf vegetables in the tropics
• Often treated as a weed in the West but prized as a vegetable across Africa and Asia
• Known as "tete" (Yoruba), "chaulai" (Hindi), and "bayam hijau" (Malay)
• Closely related to the grain amaranths but primarily used for its leaves
• An excellent source of protein, iron, and vitamins — more nutritious than many cultivated greens
• Self-seeds prolifically, appearing year after year without any cultivation
Taxonomía
• Exact origin debated due to its pantropical distribution since antiquity
• Now found throughout the tropics and subtropics worldwide
• Common across sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Pacific Islands
• Has been gathered as a wild vegetable for thousands of years across multiple continents
• One of the first plants to colonize disturbed soil in tropical regions
• Known in Ayurvedic medicine and traditional African healing systems
• First described by Linnaeus in 1759
• Naturalized in the southern United States, where it is sometimes called "slender pigweed"
• Sold fresh in markets across West Africa, India, and Southeast Asia
Leaves:
• Ovate to lanceolate, 3 to 12 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide
• Bright green, smooth, with entire margins
• Long petioles, often as long as the leaf blade
• Tender when young, becoming tougher with age
• Arranged alternately on the stem
Stems:
• Erect, slender, smooth, green
• Branching from the base and upper nodes
• Can develop a reddish tinge at the base in mature plants
Flowers:
• Small, greenish, borne in dense, elongated terminal spikes and axillary clusters
• 5 to 15 cm long, upright
• Not showy — the plant is valued for its foliage
• Produce enormous numbers of tiny black seeds
Roots:
• Taproot, moderately deep
• Efficient at nutrient uptake in poor soils
• Thrives in warm, humid tropical conditions
• Tolerates temperatures from 20 to 40°C
• Sensitive to frost
• Grows in virtually any soil type, from heavy clay to sand
• pH range from 5.0 to 8.0
• Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade
• Very drought-tolerant once established
• Fast-growing, completing its life cycle in 60 to 90 days
• Self-seeds prolifically
• Often one of the first plants to appear in disturbed ground
• Responds vigorously to nitrogen availability
• Very high in protein for a leaf vegetable, containing 3 to 5 g per 100 g
• Excellent source of iron — one of the best plant sources available
• Very rich in calcium, providing significant amounts per serving
• Good source of vitamins A and C
• Contains potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium
• Rich in dietary fiber
• Low in calories, approximately 20 to 30 kcal per 100 g
• Contains oxalates, which are reduced by boiling
• Protein quality is excellent, with a good amino acid profile including lysine
• Direct-sow seeds in warm soil (above 20°C), barely covering with fine soil
• Seeds are tiny — mix with sand for even sowing
• Thin seedlings to 10 to 20 cm apart for full-size plants
• Can be broadcast for baby leaf harvest
• Germination in 3 to 7 days at warm temperatures
• Harvest begins 25 to 35 days after sowing
• Cut stems 10 cm above ground for regrowth
• Requires no special care — grows readily in average garden conditions
• Responds well to nitrogen fertilizer and consistent moisture
• Succession sow every 2 to 3 weeks for continuous harvest
• In many tropical gardens, it simply appears on its own each season
• Cooked as a pot herb in soups, stews, and sauces across West Africa
• Used in Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Cameroonian traditional dishes
• Stir-fried with garlic, chili, and shrimp paste in Southeast Asian cooking
• Used in Indian "chaulai saag" preparations with spices and lentils
• Added to Caribbean "callaloo" dishes
• Cooked with coconut milk in Sri Lankan cuisine
• Boiled and served with staples like rice, fufu, or chapati
• Sometimes dried for storage and later reconstituted in soups
• Young leaves can be used raw in salads in small quantities
Dato curioso
Slender Amaranth is one of those plants that Westerners spend money trying to kill while the rest of the world spends money trying to buy it. In Nigerian markets, fresh bundles of amaranth leaves (locally called "tete") sell out daily, while in American suburbs, the identical plant is sprayed with herbicide. The nutritional irony is that this "weed" contains more iron and protein than the spinach growing in the same garden.
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