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Amaranthus cruentus 'Hopi Red Dye'

 
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Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Amaranthus (am-uh-RANTH-us) (Info)
Species: cruentus (kroo-EN-tus) (Info)
Cultivar: Hopi Red Dye

5 vendors have this plant for sale.

6 members have or want this plant for trade.

Category:
Annuals
Vegetables
Herbs

Height:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)
6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)

Spacing:
12-15 in. (30-38 cm)
15-18 in. (38-45 cm)
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)

Hardiness:
Not Applicable

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun

Danger:
N/A

Bloom Color:
Magenta (Pink-Purple)
Fuchsia (Red-Purple)
Red
Scarlet (Dark Red)
Purple
Dark Purple/Black
Maroon (Purple-Brown)

Bloom Time:
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fall

Foliage:
Grown for foliage
Herbaceous
Burgundy
Dark/Black
Bronze-Green
Smooth-Textured
Shiny/Glossy-Textured
Good Fall Color

Other details:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Requires consistently moist soil; do not let dry out between waterings
Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season
Flowers are good for cutting
Flowers are good for drying and preserving

Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)

Patent Information:
Unknown - Tell us

Propagation Methods:
From herbaceous stem cuttings
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; sow indoors before last frost
From seed; direct sow after last frost
From seed; germinate in a damp paper towel

Seed Collecting:
Bag seedheads to capture ripening seed
Collect seedhead/pod when flowers fade; allow to dry
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds
Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds

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By Joy
Thumbnail #1 of Amaranthus cruentus by Joy

By LilyLover_UT
Thumbnail #2 of Amaranthus cruentus by LilyLover_UT

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By lehua_mc
Thumbnail #7 of Amaranthus cruentus by lehua_mc

There are a total of 9 photos.
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Profile:

4 positives
1 neutral
No negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

RatingAuthorComment
Positive CherokeeGreg On Sep 28, 2009, CherokeeGreg from Fresno, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:

Great plant ! I did not plant it. The birds must have but thats ok. Its about 8 ft tall it started blooming at the end of September. Very nice plant.

Positive lehua_mc On Jul 3, 2009, lehua_mc from Portland, OR (Zone 8b) wrote:

*Unbelievable* color, I mean amazing. Dark burgundy with the light hitting it flat, but everything from florescent scarlet to pale tawny pinks run riot with this plant. I have this in a very hot exposed area, and it was grown tall and well behaved in its first few months. If aesthetics are your game, however, know that this plant gets leggier and lankier as it draws all the resources for the flowers. It's a challenge since they form such lovely rosettes of foliage early on, so I'm off to research low, late blooming plants to couple with it.

Positive artemiss On Oct 22, 2008, artemiss from Toledo, OH (Zone 5b) wrote:

A very impressive plant with large deep purple leaves and seedheads. Our grew with some tithonia in a neglected patch along the drive..and was easily 5'-6' by fall.

Positive Just_Grow_It On Oct 26, 2007, Just_Grow_It from Manassas, VA wrote:

It's will give you a nice splash of color in your flower garden.
It self re-seeds very easily.

Neutral NatureWalker On Feb 6, 2005, NatureWalker from New York & Terrell, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

An annual 4-7 ft. Bright-burgundy, with many branched stems and foliage; stately, erect, scarlet, flower plumes which stand out boldly, fresh or dried. Tolerates drought and most soils. An all purpose plant for flowers, grains, greens, dyes.

Used by the Hopi Indians as a ceremonial food dye to produce red cornbread.
As with all Grain Amaranths; young plants and young leaves make nutritious steamed greens. The immature flower bracts can be used as a flower dye and the edible black seeds can be ground to make a high protein, gluten-free flour.

Sow 8-10 seeds per foot. Plant before last frost or begin indoors, transplanting when growth has reached 4-8 inches. Full sun.

Regional...

This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:

Fresno, California
Santa Clara, California
Valdosta, Georgia
Itasca, Illinois
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Sidney, Nebraska
Caldwell, New Jersey
Binghamton, New York
Toledo, Ohio
Portland, Oregon
Manassas, Virginia
Buckley, Washington
Kalama, Washington
North Bend, Washington
Spokane, Washington



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