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Rough-fruit Amaranth

Amaranthus tuberculatus

Found in swamps, bottomlands, fields, disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

68
Strong

Native to West Virginia (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
About 6.6 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
July to October
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 4 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

33CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Amaranthus

  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
  • Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Dicymolomia julianalisJulia's Dicymolomia
  • Disclisioprocta stellataSomber Carpet, Bougainvillea Looper
  • Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Show all 33
  • Gesta martialisMottled Duskywing
  • Hahncappsia mancalisCommon Hahncappsia
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hymenia perspectalisSpotted Beet Webworm
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Mocis latipesSmall Mocis, Striped Grass Looper
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Pholisora catullusCommon Sootywing
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
  • Virbia aurantiacaOrange Virbia, Orange Holomelina
  • Xanthorhoe ferrugataRed Twin-Spot, Twin-Spot Carpet
  • Helvibotys helvialis
  • Paralobesia sambuci
  • Paralobesia vernoniana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
4BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Amaranthus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
39BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Amaranthus

  • Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Agelaius tricolorTricolored Blackbird
  • Alectoris chukarChukar
  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Calcarius ornatusChestnut-collared Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Columba liviaRock Pigeon
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Show all 39
  • Euphagus cyanocephalusBrewer's Blackbird
  • Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
  • Ixoreus naeviusVaried Thrush
  • Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
  • Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
  • Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
  • Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow
  • Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Spizella breweriBrewer's Sparrow
  • Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
  • Spizelloides arboreaAmerican Tree Sparrow
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
  • Vireo belliiBell's Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
  • Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
  • Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
  • Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Amaranthaceae
Flower color
Green
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Rough fruit Amaranth; Roughfruit Amaranth; Water Hemp

Conservation status

West Virginia rankSU
Global rankG4G5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources