Strawberry Spinach
Amaranthus blitum
[am-uh-RANTH-us   BLY-tum]

 

Family: Amaranthaceae

Names: slender amaranth, Baqlat Iamania, Berry-bearing Orache, Kleine Majer, Purple Amaranth, Strawberry Blite, Wild Amaranth, livid amaranth, Plet-amarant (Danish); Guernsey pigweed, white blite; Aufsteigender Amarant, Aufsteigender Fuchsschwanz (German); Mållamarant (Swedish); Blyamarant (Norwegian); Kohenevarevonhäntä (Finnish); Amarante blite (French); Amaranto livido (Italian); Tõusev rebashein 

Description: The annual grows upright, with either a single or a branching smooth stem, from several inches to about two feet high. The thin leaves, longer than they are wide, are broadly triangular with wavy or coarsely indented margins. The inconspicuous little flowers grow in the angles between the leaves and the upper portions of the stem, and often in spikes at the top of the stem.  They become dense red masses, with the color and softness of strawberries. 

Cultivation: Prefers a well-drained fertile soil in a sunny position. Requires a hot sheltered position if it is to do well. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.3 to 7.5.  Plants should not be given inorganic fertilizers. Most if not all members of this genus photosynthesize by a more efficient method than most plants. Called the 'C4 carbon-fixation pathway', this process is particularly efficient at high temperatures, in bright sunlight and under dry conditions. Sow seed in late spring in situ. An earlier sowing can be made in a greenhouse and the plants put out after the last expected frosts. Germination is usually rapid and good if the soil is warm. A drop in temperature overnight aids germination. Cuttings of growing plants root easily.

Properties: astringent

Medicinal Uses: A fluid extract of the plant is used as an astringent internally in the treatment of ulcerated mouths and throats, externally as a wash for ulcers and sores. The plant has a folk reputation for being effective in the treatment of tumors and warts.

Culinary Uses: The flowers are very nutritious, both raw and cooked.  The young stems and leaves, and later the young tender leaves by themselves, may be used like those of lamb’s quarter, either raw or in salads or cooked like spinach, which they considerably excel in taste, at the same time providing nutritious amounts of vitamins C and A.  The seed is used as a cereal substitute in cakes, porridge etc. The seed can be cooked whole, and becomes very gelatinous like this, but it is rather difficult to crush all of the small seeds in the mouth and thus some of the seed will pass right through the digestive system without being assimilated.

Other Uses: An edible dye is obtained from the seed capsule.

References:
Feasting Free on Wild Edibles, Bradford Angier; Stackpole Books, 1969;  ISBN: 0-8117-2754-8
Plants for a Future Database

 

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