Common Name: spiny amaranth, spiny pigweedScientific Name: Amaranthus spinosus Family Name: Amaranthaceae - Amaranth FamilyIdentification NotesLife Cycleintroduced annual, reproducing by seed Stemsupright, branched, smooth, reddish, pair of sharp spines at nodes Leavesalternate, oval, entire, smooth, long petiole, often water-marked Flowers terminal spikes - green, small, mostly staminate (male); axillary clusters – green, small, mostly pistillate (female)