Amaranthus cruentus is a common flowering plant species that yields the nutritious staple amaranth grain.The seeds are eaten as a cereal grain. They are black in the wild plant, and white in the domesticated form. They are ground into flour, popped like popcorn, cooked into a porridge, and made into a confectionery called alegr¨ªa. The leaves can be cooked like spinach, and the seeds can be germinated into nutritious sprouts. While A. cruentus is no longer a staple food, it is still grown and sold as a health food.It is an important crop for subsistence farmers in Africa.