Amaranth
Amaranthus tricolor
Also called Callaloo, Chinese spinach, Leaf amaranth and Bayam
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitThe hot-weather spinach — it grows when spinach bolts, and the leaves cook like it. Pick the tips and it bushes out; leave it and it goes to a great red plume of seed that the birds strip in a week.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 2 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun, and it wants heat
- Feed
- Once a fortnight
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Tender — no frost at all RHS H2, to 1°C
- Size
- 1 m tall · 0.4 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- Tropical Asia and the Americas
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsNothing recorded against it
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-21. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.