Joseph’s Coat Amaranth (Summer Poinsettia): Edible Ornamental

Joseph’s Coat amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor), also called summer poinsettia, displays brilliant yellow, purple, or red top leaves. It’s edible—young leaves cook like spinach—and its seeds have been a grain crop in South America for millennia. Amaranth flour and baked goods are sold in health food stores.

Contrast with Weedy Relative

Redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) is a notorious weed, but Joseph’s Coat is a showy, useful garden plant.

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Plant for striking foliage color and a nutritious harvest.