Amaranthus ‘Dreadlocks’

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Caryophyllidae	Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts
Order	Caryophyllales	Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants
Family	Amaranthaceae	Amaranth family
Genus	Amaranthus	Contraction of Greek ἀμάραντος (amarantos), “unfading,” with ἄνθος (anthos), “flower”
Cultivar	‘Dreadlocks’

About plant names...

This cultivar of Amaranthus caudatus is not found in the wild.

Identification: These plants reach 4' (1.2 m) in height and up to 18" (45 cm) around, with fairly thick, pale green or red stems. Beautiful fuchsia-colored flowerheads up to 24-36" (60-91 cm) long are composed of “dreadlocks”—many pom-pom shaped flowers. Leaves are 3-6" (7.6-15 cm) long by 1-1½" (2.5-3.8 cm) wide, tapering to sharp tips, green to yellow-green.

Online References:

Amaranthus ‘Dreadlocks’ on the Weekend Gardener

Amaranthus ‘Dreadlocks’ description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

9/7/2010 · Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, Massachusetts
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm) ID is uncertain

9/7/2010 · Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, Massachusetts
≈ 10 × 15" (26 × 39 cm) ID is uncertain

Range: Zones 8-11:

About this map...