MSU Extension Integrated Pest Management

Amaranthus albus L.

Life cycle

Bushy-branched summer annual.

Leaves

Alternate, oval- to spatula-shaped, light green leaves have wavy margins and notched leaf tips.

 
Tumble pigweed seedling (left) and leaf (right).

Stems

Mostly erect and usually hairless, pale green to whitish stems with multiple branches create a bushy appearance. Stems, up to 4 feet tall, break off at the soil surface when mature and tumble with the wind.

Whitish stems of tumble pigweed.

Flowers and fruit

Small, greenish flowers are found in dense clusters in the leaf axils. Flowers have long bracts two to four times the length of the sepals and yield small, round, shiny black seeds.

 
Tumble pigweed foliage (left) and flowers (right).

Reproduction

Seeds.

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