ILLINOIS PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK
 
 ILPIN INFORMATION ON    Amaranthus spinosus
 
 
 CLASS:    DICOTYLEDENAE
 ORDER:    CARYOPHYLLALES
 FAMILY:   AMARANTHACEAE
 SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Amaranthus spinosus
 AUTHORITY:  L.
 
 COMMON NAMES:
    SPINY PIGWEED
 
 SYNONOMY:   None
 
 PLANTS CODE: AMSP
 
 NATURAL COMMUNITIES:
     CULTURAL
       AGRICULTURAL FIELD
         CROPLAND
       DEVELOPED LAND
 
 
 SAF FOREST COVER TYPE:
     NO
 
 NATURAL DIVISION:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 COUNTIES:
   ADAMS           ALEXANDER       BROWN           CALHOUN         CASS
   CHAMPAIGN       CHRISTIAN       CLARK           CLAY            CLINTON
   COLES           COOK            CRAWFORD        DEWITT          DOUGLAS
   EDGAR           EDWARDS         EFFINGHAM       FAYETTE         FRANKLIN
   GREENE          HARDIN          JACKSON         JEFFERSON       JERSEY
   JOHNSON         LAWRENCE        LEE             LOGAN           MCDONOUGH
   MCHENRY         MACON           MACOUPIN        MADISON         MARION
   MASON           MASSAC          MENARD          MONROE          MONTGOMERY
   MORGAN          MOULTRIE        OGLE            PEORIA          PERRY
   PIATT           PIKE            POPE            PULASKI         RANDOLPH
   RICHLAND        ST. CLAIR       SALINE          SANGAMON        SHELBY
   TAZEWELL        UNION           VERMILION       WABASH          WASHINGTON
   WAYNE           WILLIAMSON
 
 GROWTH FORM:  Dicot-herb
 
 TAXONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
    ROOTS:  Primary
    LEAF ARRANGEMENT:   Alternate
    LEAF TYPE:   Simple
    LEAF MARGIN:   Entire
    LEAF VENATION:  Pinnate
    LEAF SHAPE:     Lanceolate   Ovate
    INFLORESCENCE:   Spike
    FLOWER STRUCTURE:   Incomplete  (no petals)
    FLOWER COLOR:   Green
    FLOWER PLACEMENT:  Hypogynous
    FRUIT:   Achene
 
 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC COMMENTS:
     Species has a pair of spines in the leaf axils.
 
 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
     ORIGIN:   Introduced-  S. America
 
 POPULATION DYNAMICS:
     STATE STATUS: Not listed
     FEDERAL STATUS: Not listed
     COMMONNESS:  Common
     ENDEMIC:   NOT-ENDEMIC
 POPULATION STATUS COMMENTS:
     Species is rare in northern third of state.
 
 
 BIOLOGIC:
     HABIT:   Forb
     LIFE CYCLE:   Annual
     REPRODUCTION:   Sexual
     FLOWERING PERIOD:
         MONTH BEGINNING-      7         MONTH END-     10
     TROPHIC STATUS:  Autotrophic
     C02 FIXATION:  C4
     SEX:      Unisexual   -monoecious
 
 ECODISTRIBUTION COMMENTS:
     Species is distributed on waste ground; along railroads.
 
 ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS:   No data entered
 
 FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:    No data entered
 HUMAN RELATIONSHIP DATA:
     EDIBLE:  Yes
     SHOWY FLOWERS:  YES      AMOUNT:  Low
     LANDSCAPING:  NO
 
 HUMAN FACTOR COMMENTS:
     Young leaves and shoots are edible.
 
 WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK INFORMATION:   No data entered
 
 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 spinosus
 
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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