Amaranth can be classified into 3 types according to the color of its leaves: Green Amaranth: green leaves, heat-resistant, hard texture.

Representative varieties include Shanghai White Rice Amaranth, Guangzhou Willow Leaf Amaranth and Nanjing Wood Ear Amaranth.

Red amaranth: purplish-red leaves, heat resistance moderate, soft texture.

Representative varieties are Chongqing big red robe, Guangzhou red amaranth and Kunming red amaranth and so on.

Color amaranth: leaf edge green, purple-red near the veins, poor heat resistance, soft texture.

Representative varieties include Shanghai pointed-leaf red rice amaranth and Guangzhou pointed-leaf flower red amaranth (Encyclopedia of Chinese Agriculture-Vegetable Volume, 1984).

Shaoshengen et al. (2000) classified 31 amaranth varieties according to 17 biological traits and showed that the 31 amaranth varieties can be classified into round, oval and pointed leaf types according to leaf shape, and into red, colored and green amaranth according to leaf color.

According to the measurement results of 17 biological traits such as leaf shape and leaf color of Amaranthus, it can be divided into 5 categories by using the class average method, the longest distance method and the shortest distance method of the computer software clustering method, and the leaf shape and leaf color are mostly consistent among the same categories.

On the production, it is mostly classified by the combination of leaf shape and leaf color, which is often called round-leaved red amaranth, round-leaved colored amaranth, pointed-leaved colored amaranth, round-leaved green amaranth, pointed-leaved green amaranth and so on.

Amaranth different leaf shape and color

This classification is more intuitive, practical and convenient in practical application.