AMARANTHUS PLANT – BETWEEN MYTH AND USAGE

Abstract

Plant species from Amaranthus genus are extremely important from many points of view: from an historical point of view, they were mentioned in ancient cultures such as Inca or Ancient Greece; from a nutritional point of view, they have many usages as food sources or drinks in many cultures from all around the globe; from a cultural point of view, they have been an inspiration source for numerous poets; from an economic point of view, some are used as natural pigments. The present article shortly presents the mythology associated with Amaranthus genus, the usages of its different species as well as the inventory of plates present in INCDS Herbarium from Bucharest.

Keywords

• herbarium
• amaranth
• usage
• incas
• nutritional richness