Flora canaria > Especies silvestres
Amaranthus sylvestris
Amaranthus graecizans L. ssp. sylvestris (Vill.) Brenan
Familia
AMARANTHACEAE
Bledo
Amaranthus graecizans, commonly known in Spanish as ‘bledo’, ‘cenizo’ or ‘wild amaranth’, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Amaranthaceae family. It is native to the Mediterranean region, Macaronesia, much of Africa and Asia, although it has become naturalised in other parts of the world.
It is an annual plant with an erect or ascending growth habit, usually measuring between 20 and 80 centimetres in height.
Its stems are branched and slender, varying in colour from green to slightly reddish shades. Its leaves are alternate, petiolate and range in shape from ovate to elliptical or oblong.
It is a monoecious plant (bearing both male and female flowers on the same plant). Its inflorescences are grouped in axillary glomerules and terminal spikes of small, compact, greenish flowers.
It grows wild mainly on nitrogen-rich land, along roadsides, on disturbed farmland or on ruderal soils during the warm summer and autumn months.
In the folk traditions of various regions, the young leaves of this plant have traditionally been gathered from the wild to be eaten cooked, much like spinach, or in purées. However, caution is advised as they may accumulate nitrates depending on the soil in which they grow.
It can sometimes act as a competitive weed in agricultural fields and irrigated vegetable gardens.
Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote
Bledo
Amaranthus graecizans, commonly known in Spanish as ‘bledo’, ‘cenizo’ or ‘wild amaranth’, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Amaranthaceae family. It is native to the Mediterranean region, Macaronesia, much of Africa and Asia, although it has become naturalised in other parts of the world.
It is an annual plant with an erect or ascending growth habit, usually measuring between 20 and 80 centimetres in height.
Its stems are branched and slender, varying in colour from green to slightly reddish shades. Its leaves are alternate, petiolate and range in shape from ovate to elliptical or oblong.
It is a monoecious plant (bearing both male and female flowers on the same plant). Its inflorescences are grouped in axillary glomerules and terminal spikes of small, compact, greenish flowers.
It grows wild mainly on nitrogen-rich land, along roadsides, on disturbed farmland or on ruderal soils during the warm summer and autumn months.
In the folk traditions of various regions, the young leaves of this plant have traditionally been gathered from the wild to be eaten cooked, much like spinach, or in purées. However, caution is advised as they may accumulate nitrates depending on the soil in which they grow.
It can sometimes act as a competitive weed in agricultural fields and irrigated vegetable gardens.
Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote
