ILLINOIS PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK
 
 ILPIN INFORMATION ON    Amaranthus retroflexus
 
 
 CLASS:    DICOTYLEDENAE
 ORDER:    CARYOPHYLLALES
 FAMILY:   AMARANTHACEAE
 SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Amaranthus retroflexus
 AUTHORITY:  L.
 
 COMMON NAMES:
    ROUGH PIGWEED
 
 SYNONOMY:   None
 
 PLANTS CODE: AMRE
 
 NATURAL COMMUNITIES:
     PRAIRIE
       TYPICAL PRAIRIE
         DRY
     PRIMARY
       BLUFF
     CULTURAL
       AGRICULTURAL FIELD
         CROPLAND
         FIELD DIVISION
       DEVELOPED LAND
 
 
 SAF FOREST COVER TYPE:
     NO
 
 NATURAL DIVISION:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 COUNTIES:
   ADAMS           ALEXANDER       BOONE           BROWN           BUREAU
   CALHOUN         CASS            CHAMPAIGN       CHRISTIAN       CLARK
   COLES           COOK            CRAWFORD        CUMBERLAND      DEKALB
   DEWITT          DOUGLAS         DUPAGE          EDGAR           EFFINGHAM
   FAYETTE         FRANKLIN        FULTON          GREENE          GRUNDY
   HAMILTON        HANCOCK         HARDIN          HENRY           IROQUOIS
   JACKSON         JASPER          JERSEY          JO DAVIESS      JOHNSON
   KANE            KANKAKEE        KENDALL         KNOX            LAKE
   LASALLE         LAWRENCE        LIVINGSTON      LOGAN           MCDONOUGH
   MCHENRY         MCLEAN          MACON           MACOUPIN        MADISON
   MARION          MASON           MASSAC          MENARD          MERCER
   MONROE          MONTGOMERY      MORGAN          MOULTRIE        OGLE
   PEORIA          PERRY           PIATT           PIKE            POPE
   PULASKI         RANDOLPH        RICHLAND        ST. CLAIR       SALINE
   SANGAMON        SCHUYLER        SCOTT           SHELBY          STEPHENSON
   TAZEWELL        UNION           VERMILION       WABASH          WAYNE
   WHITESIDE       WILL            WILLIAMSON      WINNEBAGO       WOODFORD
 
 
 GROWTH FORM:  Dicot-herb
 
 TAXONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
    ROOTS:  Primary
    LEAF ARRANGEMENT:   Alternate
    LEAF TYPE:   Simple
    LEAF MARGIN:   Entire
    LEAF VENATION:  Pinnate
    LEAF SHAPE:     Ovate
    INFLORESCENCE:   Panicle  Spike
    FLOWER STRUCTURE:   Incomplete  (no petals)
    FLOWER COLOR:   Green
    FLOWER PLACEMENT:  Hypogynous
    FRUIT:   Achene
 
 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
     ORIGIN:   Introduced-  S. America
 
 POPULATION DYNAMICS:
     STATE STATUS: Not listed
     FEDERAL STATUS: Not listed
     COMMONNESS:  Common
     ENDEMIC:   NOT-ENDEMIC
 
 BIOLOGIC:
     HABIT:   Forb
     LIFE CYCLE:   Annual
     REPRODUCTION:   Sexual
     FLOWERING PERIOD:
         MONTH BEGINNING-      8         MONTH END-     10
     TROPHIC STATUS:  Autotrophic
     C02 FIXATION:  C4
     SEX:      Unisexual   -monoecious
 
 ECODISTRIBUTION COMMENTS:
     Waste areas;  farm lots;  gardens;  along railroads;  roadsides
 
 ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS:
     DISTURBANCE INDICATOR:   No
     SOIL CHEMISTRY INDICATOR:   None
     GROWTH OF SPECIES IN VARIOUS CONDITIONS:
          GRAVEL         No data entered    SAND           No data entered
          SANDY LOAM     No data entered    LOAM           No data entered
          CLAY LOAM      No data entered    CLAY           No data entered
          DENSE CLAY     No data entered    ORGANIC SOIL   No data entered
          NEUTRAL pH     No data entered    ACIDIC SOIL    No data entered
          EXTREMELY ACID No data entered    SALINE SOIL    No data entered
          SODIC SOIL     No data entered    SODIC-SALINE   No data entered
          ROCKY OUTCROPS No data entered    GENTLE SLOPES  Good
          MODERATE SLOPE Good               STEEP SLOPES   Fair
     HABITAT:   Moist   Dry
 
 FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:
     MYCORRHIZAE:   no
 
 HUMAN RELATIONSHIP DATA:
     ALLERGENIC:  Yes
     EDIBLE:  Yes
     SHOWY FLOWERS:  YES      AMOUNT:  Low
     LANDSCAPING:  NO
 
 HUMAN FACTOR COMMENTS:
     Young plants edible;  causes hayfever
 
 WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK INFORMATION:
     FOOD VALUE:  No data entered
     COVER VALUE:  No data entered
 
 LIVESTOCK PALATABILITY DATA:
     CATTLE FORAGE: No data    SHEEP FORAGE:  No data    HORSE FORAGE:  No data
     GOAT FORAGE:   No data    ENERGY VALUE:  Medium     PROTEIN VALUE: Low
     POISONOUS (LIVESTOCK):   Yes       -minor
 
 LIVESTOCK COMMENTS:
     May cause bloating;  favorite pig plant
 
 REVEGETATION PLANTINGS:
     WEEDINESS:   Economic
 
 
 
 REFERENCES:
Mohlenbrock, R. H., ed.  1975.  Guide to the vascular flora of Illinois.
     Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.  494 pp.
Jones, G. N.  1963.  Flora of Illinois.  Third ed.  American Midland Naturalist
     Monograph 7.  University of Notre Dame, Indiana.  401 pp.
Steyermark, J. A.  1963.  Flora of Missouri.  Iowa State University Press, Ames.
     1725 pp.
Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist.  1963.  Manual of vascular plants of north-
     eastern United States and adjacent Canada.  Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
     New York.  810 pp.
Fernald, M. L.  1950.  Gray's manual of botany.  8th ed.  American Book Co.,
     New York.  1632 pp.
Swink, F., and G. S. Wilhelm.  1979.  Plants of the Chicago region.  Third ed.
     The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois.  922 pp.
Agricultural Experiment Station.  1981.  Weeds of the North Central States.
     Bulletin 772.  College of Agriculture, University of Illinois at Urbana-
     Champaign, Urbana.  303 pp.
Downton, W. J. S.  1975.  The occurrence of C4 photosynthesis among plants.
     Photosynthetica 9(1): 96-105.
 
 END OF DATA FOR SPECIES  Amaranthus retroflexus
 
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 ILPIN was developed by Louis Iverson*, with data compiled by David Ketzner and Jeanne Karnes
 Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820
     *currently employed by USDA Forest Service, 359 Main Rd., Delaware, OH 43015