# prostrate pigweed

*Amaranthus albus*

When mature and dried, the stem snaps at the base, transforming the entire plant into a tumbleweed that rolls with the wind to disperse its seeds.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Caryophyllales › Amaranthaceae › Amaranthus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** urban
- **Habitat:** Disturbed soils, agricultural fields, roadsides, railways, and vacant urban lots.
- **Diet:** Photosynthetic (requires sunlight, water, and soil nutrients)
- **Range:** North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America
- **Size:** Stems 10 to 50 cm long, forming flat, mat-like structures close to the ground.
- **Lifespan:** 1 year (annual)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Chemical herbicides, frequent tilling, and extreme urban paving.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. This plant is safe to touch and observe at any distance. It possesses no stinging hairs or toxins, though its late-summer pollen can trigger mild seasonal allergies in sensitive individuals.

## About

Amaranthus albus is an annual species of flowering plant. It is native to the tropical Americas but a widespread introduced species in other places, including Europe, Africa, and Australia.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/165978af-d57f-40e5-a56d-177e47ed2eb6
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/57893
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranthus albus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/10825536/medium.jpg (W. Terry Hunefeld, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.