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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Amaranthus graecizans (Spreading Pigweed) |
Amaranthus graecizans (AMARANTHACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Amaranthus graecizansL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 990 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Amaranthaceae Juss. (The Amaranth Family)
42 species from the Amaranthaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Spreading Pigweed |
Maltese name(s) : |
Ghobbejra ħamra |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Therophyte ( annual plants, herbaceous, die after fruiting/seeding stage ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
June – October |
Colour of Flowers: |
Inconspicuous |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Amaranthus: From the Greek 'amarantos' meaning unfading. The flowers of several species have a deep purple-red colour (from which the colour amaranth is derived) which retain the colour for a very long time. (Greek origin)
graecizans: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Stems up to 70 cm, usually erect, usually glabrous. Leaves 2-4 cm, ovate or elliptic-rhombic, usually acute. Inflorescence of axillary cymose clusters. Bracteoles 3/5-3/4 as long as the perianth, ovate, mucronulate. Perianth-segments 3, 1.3-2 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute. Fruit longer than the perianth, somewhat muricate, dehiscing transversely, with green, longitudinal veins when young. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Pastures, abanandoned fields, agricultural areas, wasteland, open land usually close to anthropogenic activity.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Fields and valleys close to agricultural areas
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=32 | |
Distributional range |
South Europe. Introduced throughout rest of Europe and often becomes naturalized.
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, Austria and Liechtenstein, the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Bulgaria, Corse, Crete, Czeck Republic and Slovakia, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Hungary, Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Russia and former USSR, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part), Introduced in Austria and Liechtenstein, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Romania
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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Ab(A N) AE(G) Ag Al Ar Az(M) Be(B) Bl Br Bu Ca Co Cr ?Ct Cy Da Eg Es Fe Ga(F) Gg(A D G) Gr Hs(A S) It Li Lu Ma Md(M P) Mk Rf(CS) Sa Si(M S) Sl Sn Su Tn Tu(A E) Uk(K U) [Ab(A N) Ar Au nAz(M) Be aBe(B) nBH aBr Ca(C L T) Co aCs Da nEs nGe Gg He Hs(A) Hu nIr It Jo nMo Po nRf(C) aRf(NW) Rm aSa nSk Sn nSr nSu Uk]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Online Purchase (Images)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
