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Joseph's Coat
Amaranthus tricolor
ハゲイトウ
An annual herb of the amaranth family native to tropical Asia. Its leaves turn brilliant shades of red, yellow, green, and pink, making it a popular ornamental foliage plant in flower beds and mixed plantings. The Japanese name 雁来紅 (ganraikou) refers to the leaves coloring up in autumn when wild geese arrive. In India and Southeast Asia the young leaves and shoots are also eaten as a vegetable. One of the most widely cultivated species of the Amaranthus genus.
Identification Points
- ✓Ovate to lanceolate leaves; upper leaves brilliantly tinted red, yellow, or pink
- ✓Erect stem, reaching 1–1.5 m in height
- ✓Flowers small and inconspicuous, borne in dense axillary spikes
- ✓Leaf coloration peaks from summer to autumn
Habitat
Flower beds, gardens, kitchen gardens (cultivated)
Season
July to October (foliage)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf shape
Ovate
Growth form
Herb
Petal count
5 petals
Petal fusion
Free
Flower color
Green
Flowering season
Summer
Habitat
Cultivated
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
5
Phylogenetic Positionヒユ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Caryophyllales > Amaranthaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 80–65 million years ago)
Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification