This is native to southwestern North America, but it has become a widespread "tumbleweed" and the original range is uncertain. There has been confusion with the more prostrate southwestern A. blitoides. Also, the related species, A. viridis L. (from South America) and A. blitum L. (a pantropical weed), can be expected (FNA 4, K, W). Further review of colls. is desirable. Based on analysis of DNA (Waselkov et al. 2018), album and blitoides belong to a distinct "Galapagos" clade that includes a remarkable cluster of endemic species in those islands, plus species of Central America and the Carribean Region. The traditional subgenus Albersia, which includes album and blitoides (2n = 32), blitum and viridis (2n = 34), will probably need revision and subdivision. As a whole, it is currently distinguished from subgenus Amaranthus as follows (FNA 4): stems ascending, prostrate or erect (versus usually erect); inflorescences mostly with axillary glomerules or short spikes, if terminal as well then axillary clusters present to base of plant (versus terminal and axillary, often with long cylindric spikes or panicles, the axillary sections similar to terminal but shorter); pistillate flowers usually with 3-5 tepals (versus 5); utricles indehiscent or dehiscent (versus dehiscent).