Pest Information

Origin:

Native to North America, and widespread across the continent, including Mexico.

Biology:

Annual weeds that reproduce only by seeds. The plants thrive under sunny, fertile conditions, and are a pest problem in landscape, nursery crops, and many crop conditions. They generally are not a problem in maintained turf. Seeds germinate in mid-spring, flower production begins in mid-summer, and seeds are produced from late summer until the first severe frost.

Identification:

Mature plants can be quite variable with respect to leaf size, flower head length, and denseness of the foliage. Similar species are Smooth Pigweed and Redroot Pigweed. Powell Amaranth has erect, stout stems that are almost completely smooth and hairless. Leaves are alternate, diamond-shaped, and more pointed than the similar weed species. The leaves are shiny green on the upper surface and have white veins on the lower surface. Flower heads are dense clusters of green, inconspicuous flowers, and differ from Smooth and Redroot Pigweed by the denseness of the cluster and the top of the cluster tapering to a point.

Characteristicts Important to Control:

Annual weeds with heavy seed production throughout the summer and fall.