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Several amaranth species are useful as food crops and are grown both for their leaves and for their edible seeds, which are a nutritious pseudocereal (nongrass seeds used like cereal grains). A number of species, including love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus), prince’s feather (A. hypochondriacus), and Joseph’s coat (A. tricolor), are common garden ornamentals. Several species are considered weeds.Physical descriptionAmaranth plants typically are annuals or short-lived perennials. The stems often are reddish in colour and sometimes are armed with spines; they bear simple alternately arranged leaves and often feature a pinkish taproot. The plants can be monoecious (flowers of both sexes are on the same individual) or dioecious (each individual produces flowers of a single sex). The small flowers typically feature colourful bracts and are arranged in dense showy inflorescences; a single plant can produce hundreds or thousands of seeds, borne singly in dry capsule fruits. The plants utilize a photosynthetic pathway known as C4 carbon fixation, which largely prevents photorespiration and thus increases drought tolerance.