One of the indigenous staple crops of Andean South America is the pseudocereal quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). While it was traditionally placed in its own family Chenopodiaceae, recent genetic work located it within the monophyletic family Amaranthaceae. It is a tall, little-branched shrub that produces thousands of seeds in a large, exserted panicle (Fig. 1). There are many varieties that are primarily distinguished based on the color of both the plant and seed. Quinoa varieties range in color from white, yellow, red, and purple.

Maria Bruno is a professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at Dickinson College.

Bruno, Maria C. Quinoa: Origins and Development. In Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, edited by Claire Smith, 6215–6220. New York: Springer, 2017. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_2184

For more information on the published version, visit Springer's Website. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_2184