Amaranthaceae

Joseph's-coat

Amaranthus tricolor L.

Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Amaranthus

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Joseph's-coat (Amaranthus tricolor) — Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (26)

Arabic: ذيل الثعلب, عرف الديك, قطيفة
Azerbaijani: Üçrəng pəncər
Belarusian: Аксамітнік трохкаляровы, Амарант трохкаляровы
Cantonese: 紅莧菜
cdo: Gì-chái
Chinese: 苋, 莧, 雁來紅, 三色苋, 刺苋菜, 红米菜, 红苋菜, 老少年
dtp: Sansam otomou
English: Joseph's-coat, Edible amaranth
Indonesian: Bayam gajah
Japanese: ヒユ, はげいとう, ガンライコウ, ハゲイトウ, ヒユナ, 葉鶏頭
Kannada: ದಂಟು
Korean: 비름
Lithuanian: Trispalvis burnotis
lzh: 莧
Malagasy: Anambario, Anambibilava, Anana, Anantarika
Malay: Bayam hijau
Malayalam: മധുരച്ചീര
mnc: ᡶᡳᠶᡝᠯᡝᠨ
Norwegian Nynorsk: Bladamarant
Odia: ଖଡ଼ା
Persian: تاج خروس سهرنگ
Portuguese: Tampala
Russian: Щирица трёхцветная, Амарант, Амарант трёхцветный, Съедобный амарант
Slovenian: Tribarvni ščir
Tamil: சிறுகீரை, தண்டுக்கீரை
Vietnamese: Rau dền đỏ

Synonyms

Amaranthus amboinicus Buch.-Ham.
Amaranthus bicolor Nocca ex Willd.
Amaranthus cuspidatus Vis.
Amaranthus dubius Mart.
Amaranthus flexuosus hort. ex Moq.
Amaranthus gangeticus L.
Amaranthus gangeticus var. angustior L.H.Bailey
Amaranthus gangeticus var. angustior Bailey
Amaranthus inamoenus Willd.
Amaranthus incomptus Willd.
Amaranthus japonicus Houtt. ex Willd.
Amaranthus japonicus Houtt. ex Steud.
Amaranthus lanceolatus Roxb.
Amaranthus lancifolius Roxb.
Amaranthus lividus Roxb.
Amaranthus mangostanus L.
Amaranthus mangostanus Blanco
Amaranthus melancholicus L.
Amaranthus melancholicus var. obovatus Moq.
Amaranthus melancholicus var. parvifolius Moq.
Amaranthus melancholicus var. tricolor (L.) Lam. ex Moq.
Amaranthus mucronatus Hort.Petrop. ex Hook.f.
Amaranthus oleraceus Roxb.
Amaranthus polygamus Roxb.
Amaranthus polygamus Thwaites
Amaranthus rotundifolius Herb.Par. ex Moq.
Amaranthus salicifolius Hort.Veitch
Amaranthus tricolor var. gangeticus (L.) Fiori
Amaranthus tricolor var. mangostanus (L.) Aellen
Amaranthus tricolor var. melancholicus (L.) Lam.
Amaranthus tricolor var. tristis (Willd.) Mehrotra, Aswal & B.S.Bisht
Amaranthus tricolor var. tristis (Willd.) Mehrotra, Aswal & B.S.Bisht
Amaranthus tristis L.
Amaranthus tristis var. leptostachys Moq.
Blitum gangeticum (L.) Moench
Blitum melancholicum Moench
Glomeraria bicolor Cav. ex Moq.
Glomeraria tricolor (L.) Cav.

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced

Photos

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: portioid, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Kor!An, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Manuela Beziau, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: 葉子, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Kor!An, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: P Deepti, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: 葉子, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Ton Rulkens from Mozambique, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Patji Anandhu, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Dan Killam, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: 刻意, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Amaranthus

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.