Kentucky Plant Atlas




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Amaranthaceae Amaranthus <Albersia> blitum (lividus)
Amaranthus blitum L.
ALI: SA+ HAB: n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a ABU: n/a, n/a, 0
This pantropical weed has been found at scattered sites across southeastern states (especially s. Fla. and s. Tex.), but also north to Pa., N.Y. and Mass., often in association with greenhouses (K, W). It has been recently collected by P. Adanick (21Sep2018 for APSC), from around greenhouses at Eastern Ky. Univ. (MADI), and he has observed the species at several other greenhouses or florists across Ky. (BARR, BOON, FAYE, JESS, KENT, ROWA). A. blitum is easily confused with blitoides, but can be dstinguished (Costea & Tardif 2003, Y. W) by its indehiscent fruits (versus circumscissile); by its flowers with 2-3 tepals (versus 4-5); and by its rhombic-ovate leaves that are emarginate or bilobed (versus obovate-spathulate to oblong-lanceolate); 2n = 34 (versus 32). The species has much history of edible and medicinal uses, and selections are sometimes cultivated (Costea & Tardif 2003). Based on DNA analysis it belongs to a largely "Eurasian / South African / Australian" clade that is distinct from the rest of traditional subgenus Albersia (Waselkov et al. 2018) .Intraspecific taxa are sometimes recognized. Some of our plants appear to be ssp. emarginatus (Moq.) ex Uline & Bray, which has been distinguished from ssp. pseudogracilis N.Bayón ex Thell as follows (W): plants prostrate (versus ascending); leaves 0.75-3.5 cm long (versus 1.5-6 cm); inflorescences mostly axillary cymes, the terminal reduced or absent (versus primarily terminal, thin and flexuous). However, both taxa my be be widely scattered across the state; and identifications often remain uncertain.