Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: pigweed

Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth)

Distribution: Cosmopolitan

Comments: The flowers of the 'Hopi Red Dye' amaranth were used by the Hopi (a tribe in the western United States) as the source of a deep red dye. Also a synthetic dye was named "amaranth" for its similarity in color to the natural amaranth pigments known as betalains. This synthetic dye is also known as Red No. 2 in North America and E123 in the European Union.