Amaranth
A reddish-rose colour named after the flower of the amaranth plant
Amaranth is a reddish-rose colour that matches the flower of the amaranth plant. The name comes from a Greek word for a flower that never fades. Amaranth is similar to magenta but appears redder, and it has been used as a colour name in English since 1690.
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- Amaranth is redder than printer's magenta
- Named after the amaranth flower
- First recorded as a colour name in 1690
- Amaranth pink and purple are related shades
What colour is Amaranth?
Amaranth is a reddish-rose shade, close to but redder than magenta. It takes its appearance from the flowers of the amaranth plant, which can show a range of colours but are most often linked to this particular deep pinkish red. The colour is sometimes called amaranth red to set it apart from other amaranth flower shades.
Where does Amaranth come from?
The word amaranth comes from Greek roots meaning 'not to waste away', referring to a legendary flower on Mount Olympus that never died. The colour name in English dates back to 1690 and was chosen to match the red flowers of the amaranth plant.
Red around the world
What the red family means from country to country.
The flag uses the four Pan-Arab colours: a red bar at the hoist with green, white and black bands. It was designed by a young Emirati, Abdullah Al Maainah, in 1971.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of the United Arab EmiratesThe flag is a black double-headed eagle on red, the banner of the fifteenth-century hero Skanderbeg. Fans chant Kuq e Zi, red and black.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of AlbaniaArmenian scribes painted manuscripts with vordan karmir, a crimson dye made from an insect that lives on the roots of grasses in the Ararat plain.
Sacred and holySource: Armenian cochinealUnder Juan Manuel de Rosas in the 1830s and 1840s, everyone had to wear a scarlet ribbon to show loyalty to his Federalist party. His enemies, the Unitarians, were tied to sky blue.
Politics and protestFearSource: Juan Manuel de RosasThe flag is red, white and red. Legend says Duke Leopold V's white tunic was soaked in blood at the siege of Acre, all but the band under his belt.
Politics and protestCourageSource: Flag of AustriaRed ochre is used in Aboriginal rock art and ceremony, and is traded over long distances. In the Aboriginal flag the red half stands for the earth and for that ochre.
Sacred and holyNature and renewalAweSource: Australian Aboriginal flagShades and relatives of Amaranth
There are several related shades: amaranth pink, which matches pink amaranth flowers and was first named in 1905; amaranth purple, based on purple-flowered species and named in 1912; and deep tones such as amaranth deep purple and alizarin, both described in a 1930 colour dictionary. Radical red, a Crayola crayon from 1990, is also called bright amaranth pink.
Colours that go with Amaranth
Harmonies are worked out from the value #E52B50. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Amaranth
What colour is amaranth?
Amaranth is a reddish-rose shade, similar to magenta but slightly redder, and is based on the colour of the red amaranth flower.
Where does the name amaranth come from?
The name comes from Greek, meaning 'not to waste away', after a legendary flower said never to die.
Are there other shades of amaranth?
Yes, there are amaranth pink, amaranth purple, deep amaranth, and a bright shade called radical red.
When was amaranth first used as a colour name?
Amaranth was first recorded as a colour name in English in 1690.
Good reading and sources
- Amaranth (color) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Amaranth (color)", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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