Love Lies Bleeding (Amaranth): A Seed Crop with a Bloody Past
Amaranthus caudatus
Amaranth has a peculiarly violent history in its relations to humankind. Some say it’s seeds were mixed with human blood and formed into cakes to be eaten in a religious sacrament. Some say its cultivation and possesion were once forbidden under the penalty of death. In literature, it’s unfading flowers have long been equated with immortality or a love without hope.
Outwardly betraying amaranth’s violent history, A. caudatus has a surreal ability to fill an observant mind with words and phrases not commonly associated with beauty. Their flowers appear as boneless and bloody arms resigned to the unkindness of wind… squid’s tentacles… a sanguine gush of flaccid tails. It’s obvious that this plant can elicit an embarrassing supernova of dark prose if you allow your words to wander with it for awhile.
Welcome to the horrific history of amaranth.
By Kevin Healey
