Amaranthus thunbergii leaves

Name and species distinction

Plants of the World Online accepts Amaranthus thunbergii Moq. and lists Namibia in its native range. A 2020 Kabbe survey row prints the local-name string “Libowa/Ihato” but does not assign a language to it. The veterinary guide lists other local names with language labels in its A. thunbergii entry; those names remain source-specific rather than a cross-community identification key.

Kolberg’s Namibian literature review warns that A. thunbergii and A. dinteri are similar and may have been confused in earlier food reports.

Reported food use

The Kabbe thesis table identifies A. thunbergii Moq., project voucher T020, leaves, and the category “Leafy vegetable. Medical uses.” Its preparation field says “Infusion,” but the table does not explain whether this refers to the vegetable use or a separate traditional-use entry. It provides no edible cooking method.

A separate 1992 Topnaar account reports cooked leaves and stems of A. dinteri, including frying with onions, and lists vouchers VdE 18.6.b and VdE 4.4.k. That source-specific preparation is not attributed to A. thunbergii.

Cultivation evidence

An IGLV-VIVA repository record describes a 2005–06 cultivation-trial report for traditional leafy vegetables in northern Namibia. Indexed excerpts mention a Rundu A. thunbergii trial sown in November 2005 and three harvest dates through January 2006. The full report was not retrieved, so its trial layout, accession, inputs and results remain unverified.

Kew’s broad range and biome description and older accounts of disturbed-ground occurrence are not crop requirements. The reviewed sources do not establish a general planting calendar, soil or water target, mature container method, or greenhouse system.

Hazards and limits

The Namibian veterinary guide reports nitrate poisoning risk to ruminants in livestock contexts. It does not establish a human food threshold, preparation rule or dose. The sources reviewed here provide no complete A. thunbergii recipe or household storage endpoint.

Namibian Forest Act excerpts describe rules tied to land and forest status, permissions and management plans. No species-specific protected-plant listing or collection permission for a particular site was established.

Research gaps

Clarify whether the Kabbe table’s “Infusion” refers to edible vegetable preparation or a separate traditional-use category.

Retrieve the complete IGLV-VIVA report and verify the Rundu trial accession, methods, soil, water, harvest data and any results.

No source reviewed establishes a complete species-specific home recipe, human safety endpoint, storage period, mature container or greenhouse production, or universal cultivation optimum.

No species-specific protected-plant status or permission for any collection site was established.

Research status

The underlying plant account received a partial source review. Its review scope is described in the original plant article.