Amaranthus tricolor Seeds | Joseph’s Coat
LATIN NAME: Amaranthus tricolor
COMMON NAME: Joseph’s Coat
Plant Profile
Joseph’s Coat (Amaranthus tricolor) is a distinctive species. Its flowers draw a steady traffic of bees and other beneficial insects. All of this makes Joseph’s Coat a satisfying plant to grow and to get to know.
Science & Biotechnology
Within the Amaranthus group, Amaranthus tricolor is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. This distinctive pigment chemistry makes ornamental amaranth a useful subject for comparative plant pigment biosynthesis research. Gardeners benefit directly from its long cultivation: what the plant will do in a garden is well understood.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Joseph’s Coat has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Ornamental Joseph’s Coat amaranth is grown purely for dramatic garden impact, its vividly multi-coloured foliage providing months of intense colour in borders and containers without needing to wait for flowers, since leaves themselves carry the display. The same species, in its plainer green-leaved forms, is also grown as a nutritious edible vegetable, discussed further on our vegetable amaranth listing, giving the species a genuine dual identity between ornamental and culinary gardening. It takes hold quickly and asks for no special treatment from then on.
Amaranth is a dual-purpose plant: the grain-like seeds are a complete protein food rich in lysine, and the leaves are a nutritious green eaten across the tropics. Folk medicine has long used the plant as a mild astringent.
Growing from Seed
Joseph’s Coat is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Sow fine seed onto surface of a loose, well-drained mix without covering it deeply, since light supports germination, and keep medium consistently warm and moist. Full sun brings out the most intense leaf colouration in ornamental forms, so avoid shaded positions if a vivid, saturated colour display is the goal. Sow the seeds evenly over the surface and cover lightly in a loose, well-drained seed compost, keep the sowing evenly moist, and give the pot or tray full sun. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Joseph’s Coat is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. Among the Amaranthus group, it is one of the more distinctive species in cultivation. Keep the sowing evenly moist at the start — that is the one real requirement.
Related Reading
More species in the same orbit as Joseph’s Coat: