Amaranthus cruentus
6. Amaranthus cruentus L. (syn.: A. hybridus subsp. cruentus (L.) Thell., A. paniculatus L.) (C-Am.) – An exceptional and ephemeral garden escape. Probably recorded only twice in the wild in Belgium: it was seen on a municipal dump in Liège (Bressoux) in 2005 and in similar circumstances on ground heaps in Brugge in 2016. Furthermore also observed in a garden in Vilvoorde in 1990, grown from African grains (Pohl 1994). Very reminiscent to and much confused with the much commoner Amaranthus hypochondriacus.
Amaranthus cruentus probably originates in Central America and therefore is not suitable as an ornamental plant in cold-temperate regions (including Belgium).
Selected literature:
Das S. (2012) Taxonomical observation on the grain amaranths and new varieties of Amaranthus cruentus (Amaranthaceae). Nord. J. Bot. 30(4): 412-420.
Pohl H. (1994) Amaranthus cruentus cultivé en Belgique, à Vilvoorde, dans un jardin potager. Nat. Mosana 47(1): 27-29.