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Amaranthus caudatus is an annual flowering plant, normally grown for ornamental purposes. It has numerous common names, including “love-lies-bleeding.” It was a staple grain for the Incas and Aztecs, nearly as important in their diets and as widespread in Tropical America as was maize (corn). The cereal-like grain (about the size of a poppy seed) is high in lysine, an amino acid which is usually deficient in vegetables and which is currently being researched as a potential treatment for herpes simplex II and certain cancers.