Chaulai / Red Amaranth
Amaranthus cruentus
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala & more
How to identify Chaulai
Identify Chaulai by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Cultivated grain amaranth with deep red spikes.
- Confirm leaf shape: Simple oval/lance-shaped.
- Confirm flower colour: Pink.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Spike (stalkless flowers along a stem).
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Amaranthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Chaulai.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Amaranthus cruentus
- Genus
- Amaranthus
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttarakhand
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Simple oval/lance-shapedrecorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chaulai itself; the rest are typical of the Amaranthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pinkrecorded“Amaranthus cruentus is a tall annual herb topped with clusters of dark pink flowers.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Flower arrangement
- Spike (stalkless flowers along a stem)recorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Achene
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chaulai itself; the rest are typical of the Amaranthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Bengali
- লাল নটে শাক Lal note sak
- Gujarati
- રાજગરો Rajgaro
- Hindi
- चौलाई Chaulai, लाल साग Lal Sag, रामदाना Ramdana
- Kannada
- ರಾಜಗಿರಿ Rajgiri
- Kashmiri
- बुस्तान अफ्रोज़ بستان افروز Bustan Afroz, मवल् Mawal
- Konkani
- राजगिरो Rajgiro
- Marathi
- राजगिरा Rajgira, श्रावणी माठ Shravani Maath
- Nepali
- लट्टे घाँस Latte Ghaas, लट्टे दाना Latte Daanaa
- Punjabi
- ਤਜ ਖੁਰੁਸ Taj khurus
- Sanskrit
- राजगिरि Rajagiri, राजशाकिणी Rajashakini
- Santali
- ᱞᱟᱹᱨᱠᱟ ᱵᱟᱦᱟ Larka baha
- Tamil
- பூங்கீரை Pu-n-nirai
- Urdu
- گل کيش Gul-kesh, لال ساگ Lal sag
About Chaulai
Red Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus) is a species in the Amaranthaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and 7 other states.
Uses
In practice it is grown for parts that are eaten and planted as an ornamental.
Amaranthaceae
Amaranth family
Chaulai belongs to the Amaranthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Amaranthaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Chaulai or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides