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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Amaranthus retroflexus (Rough Pigweed) |
Amaranthus retroflexus (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 retroflexusL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 991 (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) : | Rough Pigweed, Redroothed Amaranth, Common Amaranth |
Maltese name(s) : |
Denb id-dib xewwikija |
Status for Malta : |
Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World)
and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations.
Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly. |
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 : |
May – 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)
retroflexus: ()
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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 15-100 cm, erect, lanate in the upper part. Leaves 3-8 cm, rhombic-ovate. Inflorescence spicate, usually short and dense. Bracteoles 3-6 mm, stout and spinescent, 1 1/3-2 times as long as the perianth. Perianth-segments 2-3 mm, linear-cuneate, truncate or obtuse, with short mucro. Fruit dehiscing transversely, feebly muricate. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Several anthropogenic habitats, esp. close to agricultural areas and abandoned fields
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Casual escape in wasteground and disturbed dry valleys
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=34 | |
Distributional range |
Introduced and naturalized throughout most of Europe, but only casual in the north.
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Native region outside Europe |
(North America.)
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Introduced in Albania, Austria and Liechtenstein, the Azores, Belgium, the Balaeric Islands, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Bulgaria, Corse, Czeck Republic and Slovakia, Denmark, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Germany, Greece, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Hungary, Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Russia and former USSR, Sicily and/or Malta, Sweden, Turkey (European part)
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[Ab(A N) nAE AE(G) nAg nAl nAr nAu(A) Az aAz(P T) nBe(B L) nBH nBl nBr nBu By nCa Ca(C L T) nCg nCo nCr nCs nCt nCy nDa nEg nEs aFe aGa(C) nGa(F) nGe nGg Gg(A D G) nGr aHb nHe nHo nHs Hs(A S) nHu nIJ nIr nIt Jo nJu nLa aLe nLi aLS nLt nLu nMa nMd Md(M) Mk nMo aNo nPo nRf(C CS E N NW S) Rf(K) nRm nSa nSi(M S) nSk nSl nSn nSr aSu Sy nTcs nTn nTu(A E) nUk(K) Uk(U)]
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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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Use this form to submit additional information about this species or to report any inaccuracies on this webpage.
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
