Amaranthus albus L.
tumbleweed (prostrate pigweed; white pigweed)
Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
tumbleweed (prostrate pigweed; white pigweed)
Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect or ascending, several, glabrous to short-hairy, branching basally forming a rounded plant to 1 m tall, tending to break off at the base at maturity and then behaving as a "tumbleweed".
Leaves:
Alternate or opposite; leaf blades rarely over 3 cm long, rounded, diamond-shaped to egg-shaped, callous-margined, bristle-tipped, narrowing to a slender stalk.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of small axillary clusters; bracts rigid; tepals mainly 3; stamens 1-3.
Fruits:
Capsules opening along an "equator", the top coming off like a lid, 1-seeded; seeds 0.6-1.0 mm long, lens-shaped.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Habitat and Range
Dry disturbed areas and waste places in the montane zone; infrequent in S BC; throughout N. America, S. America and the Old World.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Amaranthus albus var. pubescens (Uline & Bray) Fernald
Amaranthus graecizans L.
Amaranthus graecizans var. pubescens Uline & Bray
Amaranthus pubescens (Uline & Bray) Rydb.