Amaranth, also known as pigweed or tassel flower, is the common name for any of the typically annual plants of the Amaranthus species, all characterized by small, often green or reddish flowers arranged in dense clusters. Although several species are often considered weeds, people around the world value amaranths as leafy vegetables, cereals and ornamentals. Love-lies-bleeding was mostly grown as an ornamental since the Victorian age for its beautiful ropes of deep red, trailing blooms that give grace in garden arrangements. For bird-feeding, let amaranth mature in the fall: amaranth contains some substances that are likely to be lacking in an ordinary seed diet.