Amaranth plant - great. Its seeds are slightly larger than a grain of sand, but on one stem they can be up to half a million. Amaranth flowers - this is a special topic, they like fire placers flaunt over stalks rich in foliage and can be golden, burgundy, purple.
In those days, when the Spanish conquistadors landed on the shores of America, it was buried in the endless thickets of this plant. The Indians not only ate it, but also used it in their religious rites. In order to free land from the indigenous people, the Spaniards, and then other colonialists, sought to deprive them of food. Therefore, they destroyed all the plants that provide food, including amaranth.
He managed to survive only in remote mountainous places in Mexico. At the end of the twentieth century, Australian scientists proved that amaranth is a valuable plant. Its seeds contain more protein compounds than cereals cultivated all over the world, and they even include a type of protein that is found only in milk. It is unpretentious to weather and soil conditions, survives even in extreme heat. More than eight hundred species of the amaranth family in antiquity were cultivated cereals distributed around the world. China and India still actively eat foods derived from these plants.
But in our country, amaranth flowers are most valued - wonderful decorative shrubs with bright colors and unsurpassed beauty and variety in the form of inflorescences. For example, only one species has several varieties of forms. This species is popularly called the cockscomb. The palette of their coloring knows no limits. It presents almost all the colors of the rainbow, from white to purple.
In the Middle Ages, amaranth flowers were actively imported into Europe. They were grown in court gardens and parks. Ripe seeds were used to obtain vegetable oil, and green mass was fed to livestock. Gradually, amaranth flowers so won the sympathy of the Europeans that the Queen of Sweden dedicated a special cavalier order to them, into which the most worthy of her subjects had the right to enter.
Unlike the cockscomb, the tailed amaranth has many long, surprisingly beautiful raspberry laces, flowing from the top of the plant to the ground. It is also called in some places the fox tail. Amaranth is often found in our gardens, a photo of which is attached to this article. Its inflorescences can reach a length of more than one meter. Depending on the form, they come up with different names. There is a sad variety, but there is a panicle, or simply Crimson.
The name "amaranth" itself already includes the noun "flower". We know its Greek pronunciation, which is easy to translate. Literally, amaranth means " unfading flower ." He served the Greek warriors as an emblem of immortality. And this is no coincidence. If the cut inflorescence of amaranth is placed in a vase, it will not fade, but will retain its charm throughout the winter and until the new season. This property can be used to create decorative compositions.