Identifying waterhemp and Palmer amaranth
By Bob Hartzler, Department of Agronomy
Several people have submitted images of escaped "pigweeds" wondering whether the plants were Palmer amaranth. In all cases, except the earlier reported situation in Harrison County, the plants in question have been waterhemp, although at casual glance they could easily be mistaken for Palmer amaranth. These cases highlight the difficulty in differentiating the two species by the general growth habit and shape of plants.