Description

Amaranth ‘Red Flowering Salad Leaf’ is an annual growing up to 2 metres tall. The young leaves, which have less oxalic acid than spinach, can be used like spinach from about 30 days; the older leaves tend to be stringy. The flowers of this variety are long and pendulous. They start crimson red and turn copper-brown as they age. Amaranth is an ancient, high-protein grain crop and this variety will produce an abundance of seeds which can be used in breads or ground into flour (if you have enough). Fresh seeds can be sprouted or grown as microgreens. Do not eat seed if suffering from diverticulitis. This plant seeds freely but is easy to remove if seedlings are growing where they are not wanted. Young plants can be removed, cooked and eaten. Some people may call it a “weed”, but the seed is readily available from reputable seed companies in Australia.