Thorny amaranth - Amaranthus spinosus

Common Name :	Thorny amaranth, Spiny amaranth, Prickly Amaranth.
Botanical Name :	Amaranthus spinosus
Family :	Amaranthaceae
Bangla Name :	Katanotey, Kata-shak.
Photo Taken :	Bangladesh

Name of the plant is Thorny amaranth, means it has thorns. Other names of the plant are Prickly amaranth, Needle burr, Spiny amaranth, etc. In Bangladesh this is known as Kata shak, Kata notey, etc. Binomial name of the plant is Amaranthus spinosus. It belongs to the plant family Amaranthaceae. The plant was initially native to the tropical Americas, but later introduced all around the world.

Thorny amaranth (Amaranthus spinosus) is an annual herbaceous plant that grows as a small bush (as it is branched). Wavy leafs are small ovate to elliptic shape with very short petiole. Mature leafs are having dark spot at the center. This plant is having thorns and become hard when they mature. That time it becomes hard for grazing animals to eat. This weed can grow almost anywhere. Even if there is a little bit space in concrete. In Bangladesh this plants are seen growing around paddy field (specially at the islands in field), roadside, etc.

Flowers of Thorny amaranth (Amaranthus spinosus) are typical Amaranth flower that blooms as a cluster. Flowers are very small and having long stamens. A small plant can produces plenty of small brownish seeds and those can easily disperse with wind. Seeds can remain dormant for a long time until it gets a viable environment to germinate. Although this is an obnoxious weed plant in many countries but in Bangladesh this is not an invasive one yet.

Thorny amaranth has a food value similar to the other plants from the same family. In many Asian and African countries this plant is being used as an option for occasional food. Immature green leafs of this plant are very tasty when fried. The extracts of the roots of this plant has some medicinal uses for diuretic.

Photos of these Thorny amaranth (Amaranthus spinosus) were taken from Feni, Bangladesh. It was during March 2013 while I was exploring the Feni district. In Bangladesh this is known as Kata shak (কাঁটা শাক), Kata notey (কাঁটা নটে), etc


This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://icflora.blogspot.com/