Family: Amaranthaceae
Group: Dicot
Substrate:
Terrestrial
Habit:
Herb
Perennation:
Annual
Native Range: Endemic to peninsular Florida.
Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida
Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status:
Rare
IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status:
Presumed Extirpated or Extinct in the Wild
SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence:
Presumed Extirpated
SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status:
Native
South Florida History and Distribution: A Florida endemic, this has only been collected a few times in Florida from Key West to Duval County, with the majority of collections along the Gulf Coast. It was reported in Rare Plants of South Florida (
Gann et al. 2002, pp 113-115) as possibly extirpated in South Florida. Florida amaranth was thought to be possibly extinct in the wild throughout Florida until a single male plant was observed in 2024 by Alan Franck on Lido Key in Sarasota County, although subsequent searches at the site have been unsuccessful. This discovery, combined with the species’ annual life history, low detection probability by casual observers, and affinity for disturbed habitats suggest that viable seed banks may persist and that additional populations could remain undetected. The most recent collection was a
germplasm collection made by the USDA in 1989 in Sarasota County. This is now in cultivation at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden from USDA germplasm.
SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status:
Not Cultivated
Comments: For an image of a type specimen collected on Key West by John Loomis Blodgett bewteen 1838 and 1853, visit the
New York Botanical Garden Virtual Herbarium.
