AY Honors/Edible Wild Plants/Amaranth

2007-05-21T18:15:07Z

89.100.130.17: /* Nutritional value */

{{otheruses}}
{{redirect5|Amarant|the [[Final Fantasy IX]] character|Amarant Coral}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Amaranthus''
| image = Amaranthus tricolor0.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = ''Amaranthus caudatus''
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Caryophyllales]]
| familia = [[Amaranthaceae]]
| subfamilia = [[Amaranthoideae]]
| genus = '''''Amaranthus'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
* ''[[Amaranthus acanthochiton]]'' greenstripe
* ''[[Amaranthus acutilobius]]'' sharp-lobe amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus albus]]'' white pigweed, prostrate pigweed, pigweed amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus arenicola]]'' sandhill amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus australis]]'' southern amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus bigelovii]]'' Bigelow's amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus blitoides]]'' mat amaranth, prostrate amaranth, prostrate pigweed
* ''[[Amaranthus blitum]]'' purple amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus brownii]]'' Brown's amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus californicus]]'' California amaranth, California pigweed
* ''[[Amaranthus cannabinus]]'' tidal-marsh amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus caudatus]]'' love-lies-bleeding, pendant amaranth, tassel flower, quilete
* ''[[Amaranthus chihuahuensis]]'' chihuahuan amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus chlorostachys]]''
* ''[[Amaranthus crassipes]]'' spreading amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus crispus]]'' crispleaf amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus cruentus]]'' purple amaranth, red amaranth, Mexican grain amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus deflexus]]'' large-fruit amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus dubius]]'' spleen amaranth, khada sag
* ''[[Amaranthus fimbriatus]]'' fringed amaranth, fringed pigweed
* ''[[Amaranthus floridanus]]'' Florida amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus gangeticus]]'' elephant head amaranth
*'' [[Amaranthus graecizans]]''
* ''[[Amaranthus greggii]]'' Gregg's amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus hybridus]]'' smooth amaranth, smooth pigweed, red amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus hypochondriacus]]'' Prince-of-Wales-feather, princess feather
* ''[[Amaranthus leucocarpus]]''
* ''[[Amaranthus lineatus]]'' Australian amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus lividus]]''
* ''[[Amaranthus mantegazzianus]]'' Quinoa de Castilla
* ''[[Amaranthus minimus]]''
* ''[[Amaranthus muricatus]]'' African amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus obcordatus]]'' Trans-Pecos amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus palmeri]]'' Palmer's amaranth, palmer pigweed, careless weed
* ''[[Amaranthus paniculus]]'' Reuzen amarant
* ''[[Amaranthus polygonoides]]'' tropical amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus powelii]]'' green amaranth, Powell amaranth, Powell pigweed
* ''[[Amaranthus pringlei]]'' Pringle's amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus pumilus]]'' seaside amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus quitensis]]'' ataco, sangorache
* ''[[Amaranthus retroflexus]]'' red-root amaranth, redroot pigweed, common amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus rudis]]'' tall amaranth, common waterhemp
* ''[[Amaranthus scleropoides]]'' bone-bract amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus spinosus]]'' spiny amaranth, prickly amaranth, thorny amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus standleyanus]]''
* ''[[Amaranthus thunbergii]]'' Thunberg's amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus torreyi]]'' Torrey's amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus tricolor]]'' Joseph's-coat
* ''[[Amaranthus tuberculatus]]'' rough-fruit amaranth, tall waterhemp
* ''[[Amaranthus viridis]]'' slender amaranth, green amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus watsonii]]'' Watson's amaranth
* ''[[Amaranthus wrightii]]'' Wright's amaranth

}}

'''''Amaranthus''''', collectively known as '''amaranth''' or '''pigweed''', is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are presently recognised, with inflorescences and foliage ranging from purple and red to gold. Members of this genus share many characteristics and uses with members of the closely related genus ''[[Celosia]]''.

Although several species are often considered [[weed]]s, people around the world value amaranths as [[leaf vegetable]]s, [[cereal]]s and [[ornamental plant|ornamentals]].

==Uses==

===Grain amaranth===

Several species are raised for '''[[amaranth grain]]''' in [[Asia]] and the [[Americas]]. Amaranth grain is a crop of moderate importance in the [[Himalaya]]. It was one of the staple foodstuffs of the [[Inca]]s, and it is known as '''kiwicha''' in the [[Andes]] today. It was also used by the ancient [[Aztec]]s, who called it '''huautli''', and other Amerindian peoples in [[Mexico]] to prepare ritual drinks and foods. To this day, amaranth grains are toasted much like [[popcorn]] and mixed with [[honey]] or [[molasses]] to make a treat called ''alegría'' (literally "joy" in Spanish).

Amaranth was used in several Aztec ceremonies, where images of their gods (notably [[Huitzilopochtli]]) were made with amaranth mixed with honey. The images were cut to be eaten by the people. This looked like the [[Christian]] [[eucharist|communion]] to the [[Roman Catholic]] priests, so the cultivation of the grain was forbidden for centuries.

Because of its importance as a symbol of indigenous culture, and because it is very palatable, easy to cook, and its protein particularly well suited to human [[nutrition]]al needs, interest in [[Amaranth grain|grain amaranth]] (especially ''A. cruentis'' and ''A. hypochondriaca'') was revived in the [[1970s]]. It was recovered in Mexico from wild varieties and is now commercially cultivated. It is a popular snack sold in [[Mexico City]] and other parts of Mexico, sometimes mixed with [[chocolate]] or [[puffed grain|puffed rice]], and its use has spread to [[Europe]] and other parts of [[North America]]. Amaranth and [[quinoa]] are the only two [[grain]]s that contain [[complete protein]]s. Besides [[protein]], [[amaranth grain]] provides a good source of [[dietary fiber]] and [[dietary mineral]]s such as [[iron]], [[magnesium]], [[phosphorus]], [[copper]], and especially [[manganese]].

===Vegetables===

Amaranth species are cultivated and consumed as a leaf vegetable in many parts of the world. In [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]], leaf amaranth is called ''bayam''. In [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]] this leaf is added in preparation of a popular [[dal]] called ''thotakura pappu''. In [[China]] the leaves and stems are used as a stirfry vegetable and called <i>yin choi</i> (and variations on this transliteration).
In Congo it is known as ''lenga lenga'' or ''biteku teku''. <ref>{{cite journal
| author=Enama, M.
| date=1994
| title=Culture: The missing nexus in ecological economics perspective
| journal=Ecological Economics
| issue=10
| pages=93-95
}}</ref>

The leaves are also used in a [[Caribbean]] soup called [[callaloo]].

In East Africa Amaranth leaf is known as MCHICHA (Swahili) - a vegetable for all. It is sometimes recommended by some doctors for people having low red cells blood count.

===Dyes===

The flowers of the Hopi Red Dye amaranth were used by the Hopi Indians as the source of a deep red dye. This dye has been supplanted by a coal tar dye known as [[Red No. 2]] in North America and E123 in the [[European Union]].{{fact|information about dye usage and Red No. 2|date=December 2006}}

===Ornamentals===

The genus also contains several well-known ornamental plants, such as ''A. caudatus'' (love-lies-bleeding), a native of [[India]] and a vigorous, hardy annual with dark purplish [[flower]]s crowded in handsome drooping spikes. Another Indian annual, ''A. hypochondriacus'' (prince's feather), has deeply-veined lance-shaped leaves, purple on the under face, and deep crimson flowers densely packed on erect spikes.

Amaranths are recorded as food plants for some [[Lepidoptera]] species including [[Nutmeg (moth)|The Nutmeg]] and various case-bearers of the genus ''[[Coleophora]]'': ''C. amaranthella'', ''C. enchorda'' (feeds exclusively on ''Amaranthus''), ''C. immortalis'' (feeds exclusively on ''Amaranthus''), ''C. lineapulvella'' and ''C. versurella'' (recorded on ''A. spinosus'').

==Nutritional value==

'''Amaranth greens''', also called '''Chinese spinach''', '''hinn choy''' or '''yin tsoi''' ({{zh-sp|s=苋菜|p=xiàncài}}), '''callaloo''', '''thotakura''' ([[Telugu language|telugu]]) , '''tampala''', or '''quelite''', are a common leaf vegetable throughout the tropics and in many warm temperate regions. It is very popular in [[Andhra Pradesh]]. They are a very good source of [[vitamin]]s including [[vitamin A]], [[vitamin B6]], [[vitamin C]], [[riboflavin]], and [[folate]], and dietary minerals including [[calcium]], [[iron]], [[magnesium]], [[phosphorus]], [[potassium]], [[zinc]], [[copper]], and [[manganese]]. Because of its valuable nutrition, some farmers grow amaranth today. However their moderately high content of [[oxalic acid]] inhibits the absorption of calcium and zinc, and also means that they should be avoided or eaten in moderation by people with [[kidney]] disorders, [[gout]], or [[rheumatoid arthritis]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Reheating cooked amaranth greens is often discouraged, particularly for consumption by small children, as the [[nitrate]]s in the leaves can be converted to [[nitrite]]s, similarly to [[spinach]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

Amaranth seeds, like [[buckwheat]] and [[quinoa]], contain protein that is unusually complete for plant sources [http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/foods_view/0,1523,74,00.html]. Most fruits and vegetables do not contain a complete set of amino acids, and thus different sources of protein must be used.

Several studies have shown that like oats, amaranth seed or oil may be of benefit for those with hypertension and cardiovascular disease; regular consumption reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while improving antioxidant status and some immune parameters.
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=15542354 PMID:15542354], [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17313043 PMID:17313043], [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17207282 PMID:17207282]. While the active ingredient in oats appears to be water soluble fiber, amaranth appears to lower cholesterol via its content of plant stanols and [[squalene]].

==Amaranth as a weed==

Not all amaranth plants are cultivated. Some appear as [[weed]]s. A new strain of the Palmer amaranth has appeared which is [[glyphosate]]-resistant and as a result cannot be killed by the widely used [[Roundup]] herbicide. Also, this hardy plant can survive in tough conditions. This could be of particular concern to [[cotton]] farmers using [[Roundup Ready]] cotton.[http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/cotton060404.cfm]

Anecdotal reports indicate that some people are very allergic to amaranth.

==Myth, legend and poetry==

'''Amaranth''', or Amarant (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''amarantos'', unwithering), a name chiefly used in poetry, and applied to Amaranth and other plants which, from not soon fading, typified immortality.

[[Aesop's Fables]] (6th century BC) compares the Rose to the Amaranth to illustrate the difference in fleeting and everlasting beauty.

<blockquote>
:A Rose and an Amaranth blossomed side by side in a garden,
:and the Amaranth said to her neighbour,
:"How I envy you your beauty and your sweet scent!
:No wonder you are such a universal favourite."
:But the Rose replied with a shade of sadness in her voice,
:"Ah, my dear friend, I bloom but for a time:
:my petals soon wither and fall, and then I die.
:But your flowers never fade, even if they are cut;
:for they are everlasting."
</blockquote>

Thus, in [[John Milton|John Milton's]] [[Paradise Lost]] (1667), iii. 353:

<blockquote>
:"Immortal amarant, a flower which once
:In paradise, fast by the tree of life,
:Began to bloom; but soon for man's offence
:To heaven removed, where first it grew, there grows,
:And flowers aloft, shading the fount of life,
:And where the river of bliss through midst of heaven
:Rolls o'er elysian flowers her amber stream:
:With these that never fade the spirits elect
:Bind their resplendent locks."
</blockquote>

[[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]], in [[Work without Hope]] (1825), also references the herb, likely referencing Milton's earlier work. (ll 7-10 excerpted):

<blockquote>
:Yet well I ken the banks where Amaranths blow,
:Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow.
:Bloom, O ye Amaranths! bloom for whom ye may,
:For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away!
</blockquote>

The original spelling is ''amarant''; the more common spelling ''amaranth'' seems to have come from a [[folk etymology]] assuming that the final syllable derives from the Greek word ''anthos'' ("flower"), common in botanical names.

In ancient [[Greece]] the amaranth (also called [[chrysanthemum|chrusanthemon]] and [[helichrysum|elichrusos]]) was sacred to Ephesian [[Artemis]]. It was supposed to have special healing properties, and as a symbol of
immortality was used to decorate images of the gods and tombs. In legend, [[Amarynthus]] (a form of Amarantus) was a hunter of Artemis and king of [[Euboea]]; in a village of Amarynthus, of which he was the eponymous hero, there was a famous temple of Artemis Amarynthia or Amarysia (Strabo x. 448; Pausan. i. 31, p. 5). It was also widely used by the Chinese for its healing chemicals, curing illnesses such as infections, rashes, and migraines.

==See also==

*[[amaranth (color)]]


==Images==

<gallery>
Image:Amaranthus caudatus1.jpg|Loves-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus)
Image:Amaranthus.hybridus1web.jpg|Green Amaranth (''A. hybridus'')
Image:Seabeach Amaranth.jpg|Seabeach amaranth (''A. pumilus''), an [[endangered species]] of amaranth
Image:Illustration Amaranthus retroflexus0.jpg|Red-root Amaranth (''A. retroflexus'') - from Thomé, ''Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz'' 1885
Image:Amaranthus.spinosus1web.jpg|Spiny Amaranth (''Amaranthus spinosus'')
Image:Amaranthus.viridis1web.jpg|Green Amaranth (''Amaranthus viridis'')
Image:Amaranth_sp_2.jpg| Popping Amaranth (Amaranthus sp.)
</gallery>

==Notes==
<references/>

==Sources==
*Lenz, ''Botanik der alt. Greich. und Rom.'' Botany of old. (1859)
*J. Murr, ''Die Pflanzenwelt in der griech. Mythol.'' Plants in Greek Mythology. (1890)

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Amaranthus}}
*[http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/amaranthus_hybridus_thumbnails.htm Amaranthus hybridus]
*[http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/amaranthus_spinosus_thumbnails.htm Amaranthus spinosus]
*[http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/600max/html/starr_010520_0109_amaranthus_viridis.htm Amaranthus viridis]
*[http://flora.huh.harvard.edu:8080/flora/browse.do?flora_id=1&taxon_id=101257 Flora online : Flora of North America]
*[http://amaranth.twoday.net/topics/Amaranthus+Info/ Amaranthus Info]
*[http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/amaranth.html Alternate Field Crops Manual]
*[http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20b9.html Nutrition facts]
*[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16009655&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum Dye Studies]

{{Cereals}}

[[Category:Amaranthus| ]]
[[Category:Cereals]]
[[Category:Grains]]
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Tropical agriculture]]
[[Category:Underutilized crops]]

[[ca:Amarant]]
[[cs:Laskavec]]
[[de:Amarant (Pflanzengattung)]]
[[es:Amaranthus]]
[[eo:Amaranto nutraĵa]]
[[fr:Amarante (plante)]]
[[id:Bayam]]
[[it:Amaranto (alimento)]]
[[lt:Burnotis]]
[[ln:Bítɛkutɛku]]
[[ms:Pokok Bayam]]
[[nah:Huauhtli]]
[[nl:Amarant (geslacht)]]
[[pl:Szarłat]]
[[pt:Amaranto]]
[[sv:Amaranter]]
[[zh:莧菜]]

AY Honors/Weather - Advanced/Answer Key

2007-02-25T02:41:26Z

89.100.130.17: /* Effects on weather */

[[Image:IntertropicalConvergenceZone-EO.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The thunderstorms of the Intertropical Convergence Zone form a line across the eastern Pacific Ocean.]]

The '''Intertropical Convergence Zone''' '''(ITCZ)''', also known as the '''Intertropical Front''', '''[[Monsoon trough]]''', '''Doldrums''' or the '''Equatorial Convergence Zone''', is a belt of [[low pressure area|low pressure]] girdling [[Earth]] at the [[equator]]. It is formed by the vertical ascent of warm, moist air from the latitudes above and below the equator.

The air is drawn into the intertropical convergence zone by the action of the [[Hadley cell]], a [[scale (spatial)|macroscale]] [[earth's atmosphere|atmospheric]] feature which is part of the Earth's heat and moisture distribution system. It is transported aloft by the [[convection|convective]] activity of [[thunderstorm]]s; regions in the intertropical convergence zone receive [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] more than 200 days in a year.

==Position==
The location of the intertropical convergence zone varies over time. Over land, it moves back and forth across the equator following the sun's [[zenith]] point. Over the oceans, where the convergence zone is better defined, the seasonal cycle is more subtle, as the convection is constrained by the distribution of ocean temperatures.

Sometimes, a double ITCZ forms, with one located north and another south of the equator. When this occurs, a narrow ridge of high pressure forms between the two convergence zones, one of which is usually stronger than the other.

[[Image:Omega-500-july-era40-1979.png|thumb|right|Vertical velocity at 500 hPa, July average. Ascent (negative values) is a tracer for the ITCZ and is concentrated close to the solar equator; descent (positive values) is more diffuse.]]

==Effects on weather==
Variation in the location of the intertropical convergence zone drastically affects rainfall in many equatorial [[nation]]s, resulting in the wet and dry seasons of the tropics rather than the cold and warm seasons of higher latitudes. Longer term changes in the intertropical convergence zone can result in severe droughts or flooding in nearby areas.

Within the ITCZ the average winds are slight, unlike the zones north and south of the equator where the [[trade wind]]s feed in. Early sailors named this belt of calm '''the doldrums''' because of the inactivity and stagnation they found themselves in after days of no wind.[http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19971016] To find oneself becalmed in this region in a hot and muggy climate could mean death in an era when wind was the only major motive force.

==Role in tropical cyclone formation==
[[Tropical cyclogenesis]] depends upon low-level vorticity as one of its six requirements, and the ITCZ/monsoon trough fill this role as it is a zone of wind change and speed, otherwise known as horizontal [[wind shear]]. As the ITCZ migrates more than 500 km from the equator during the respective hemisphere's summer season, increasing [[coriolis force]] allows the formation of [[tropical cyclones]] within this zone more possible. In the north Atlantic and the northeastern Pacific oceans, [[tropical wave]]s move along the axis of the ITCZ causing an increase in thunderstorm activity, and under weak vertical [[wind shear]], these clusters of thunderstorms can become [[tropical cyclones]].

==See also==
*[[Horse latitudes]]
*[[Monsoon trough]]
*[[Tropical cyclogenesis]]

==References==
*[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=4028 Short NASA article with high resolution photo]

[[Category:Tropical meteorology]]
[[Category:Atmospheric dynamics]]

[[de:Innertropische Konvergenzzone]]
[[es:Zona de convergencia intertropical]]
[[fr:Zone de convergence intertropicale]]
[[nl:Intertropische convergentiezone]]
[[no:Den intertropiske konvergenssonen]]
[[nn:Den intertropiske konvergenssona]]
[[pl:Tropikalna strefa konwergencji]]
[[simple:Doldrums]]
[[fi:Pasaatituulten kohtaamisvyöhyke]]
[[sv:Intertropiska konvergenszonen]]

Pathfinder Wiki - User contributions [en]

AY Honors/Edible Wild Plants/Amaranth

AY Honors/Weather - Advanced/Answer Key