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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Amaranthus muricatus (African Amaranth) |
Amaranthus muricatus (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 muricatus(Moq.) Hieron.
Published in Bol. Acad. Nac. Ci. 4: 421 (1881) |
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) : | African Amaranth, Muricate Amaranth |
Maltese name(s) : |
Denb id-dib Afrikan |
Status for Malta : |
Casual or accidental alien. Species that was introduced in Malta rather recently and normally it is short-lived
or resticted to small populations for a short time, without becoming widespread or invasive. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Chameophyte ( small woody shrubs with vegetative buds well above the ground ) |
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 : |
April – November |
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)
muricatus: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
Remarks : |
A new record for the Maltese flora found by Stephen Mifsud in Feb 2008. A casual alien which is thought to be introdiced by migratory birds. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Decumbent perennial up to 60 cm, usually glabrous. Leaves 2-5 cm, linear to lanceolate or narrowly ovate-lanceolate, long-petiolate. Inflorescence a long panicle, branched at the base. Bracteoles ½ as long as the perianth, ovate, acute. Perianth-segments 5, c. 2 mm, spathulate. Fruit indehiscent, strongly muricate. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Several anthropogenic habitats, esp. near agricultural areas.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Fields and valleys close to agricultural areas, usually in disturbed places
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=34 | |
Distributional range |
Naturalized in S. Europe casual further North of Europe.
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Native region outside Europe |
(Temperate South America.)
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Introduced in the Balaeric Islands, Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[nAE(G) aAu(A) aBe(B) nBl Bl(M N) nCa Ca(C F G L T) aDa nGa(F) nGr Hs(G) nHs(S) aIJ aIr nIt nLu nMa nMd Md(M) nSa nSi aSi(S) aSu]
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| Links & Further literature
(1 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 |
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Four New Records For The Flora Of The Maltese Islands - Dactyloctenium Aegyptium (L.) P.Beauv. (Fam. Poaceae), Amaranthus Muricatus (Gillies Ex Moq.) Hieron. (Fam. Amaranthaceae), Fumaria Reuteri Boiss.(Fam. Fumariaceae) And Spirodela Oligorrhiza (Kurtz) Hegelm. (Fam. Lemnaceae) |
Stephen Mifsud (2008) |
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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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
