Amaranthus caudatus
Origin: Tarija, Bolivia
Improvement status: Landrace
Seeds per packet: ~210
Germination tested 09/2025: 85%
Life cycle: Annual
This lovely South American amaranth comes from the Bolivian town of Tarija. It came to the US thanks to a Bolivian researcher named Fernando Guillen-Portal, who provided a sample to Rodale Institute around 1990. Rodale had an extensive program evaluating amaranths, but this one never made it into their system. Thankfully, they supplied some to the USDA, which maintains it at the North Central Plant Introduction Station in Ames, Iowa.
This is a green amaranth with some red-brown ("rufescent") shading to the stem and seedheads. The seeds are slightly above average in size for amaranth, but they have an unusual yellow-brown color. Both the leaves and seeds are edible.
Our seed was grown by our friend Jen Williams of Wild Dreams Farm in Vashon, Washington.
GROWING TIPS: Direct sow after danger of frost has passed, or start in flats a few weeks earlier. Space plants at least a foot or two apart since they can get quite large.
