author(s) : Abdel-Fattah M. Rizk, Ibrahim A. El-Garf and Husseiny A. H. Elgendy
Synonym
- Amaranthus blitoides S. Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 273 (1877); Boulos, Fl. Egypt 1: 136 (1999).
- Prostrate pigweed
family name
AMARANTHACEAE
genus name
Amaranthus
The protein profile and amino acid composition of Amaranthus blitoides were reported by Juan et al. (2007).
The oil and squalene contents in seeds and leaves as well as the composition of fatty acids in grains of Amaranthus blitoides and some other species are shown in Tables 22-24 (He and Corke, 2003).
Screening of the plant (a herbarium specimen from Lebanon) revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins ans saponins (Aynilian et al., 1971).
Amaranthus blitoides (prostrate pigweed), growing in Egypt, contains the following flavonoids: kaempferol 3-glucoside-7-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-glucoside-7-rhamnoside, isorhamnetin 3-rutinoside (traces), 3,4′-dihydroxyflavone-7-glucoside, 3-hydroxyflavone-7,4′-diglucoside, daidzein 7-galactoside and afrormosin 7-glucoside (Kawashty et al., 1999). Simple (nonacylated) and acylated betacyanins in Amaranthus blitoides and other Amaranthus species are shown in Table 25 (Cai et al., 2001).
Amaranthus blitoides contains appreciable amounts of glycosides and alkaloids in stems, leaves, but not in the roots. Saponins and organic acids were also present (Saina, 1973).
Potassium nitrate content of some weeds (including prostrate pigweed, Amaranthus blitoides; tumbling pigweed, Amaranthus graecizans; and red root pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus) exceeded 4.2% (Gilbert et al., 1946).
From the 96 different plant species collected, from the polluted soils after the toxic spill of Aznalcollar mine in Spain, Amaranthus blitoides accumulated As, Pd and Cu (De Haro et al., 2000).
The phytoextraction efficiency of Amaranthus blitoides to extract and accumulate As has been proved.
The plant is reported as the most promising to be used in remediation of the As affected area (Del Rio et al., 2002a,b, 2004; Font et al., 2004).
The plant also accumulated Pb and Zn (Del Rio-Celestion et al., 2006).
Medicaments containing Amaranthus blitoides are used for treating inflammatory diseases, such as hemorrhoids, herpes, urethral infection, prostatitis and infections of genitourinary tract (Nedwig et al., 2004; Audino, 2012).
Tow cases of polioencephalomalacia were diagnosed in adult sheep grazing pastures with Amaranthus blitoides in spain (Ramos et al., 2005).
location
egypt