[1][3] Palmer amaranth was once widely cultivated and eaten by Native Americans across North America, both for its abundant seeds and as a cooked or dried green vegetable.

[3] Other related Amaranthus species have been grown as crops for their greens and seeds for thousands of years in Mexico, South America, the Caribbean, Africa, India, and China.

Like spinach and many other leafy greens, amaranth leaves also contain oxalic acid, which can be harmful to individuals with kidney problems if consumed in excess.

Unlike the grain and leaf amaranths of other regions, it has not been cultivated or further improved by recent agricultural breeding.

[1] Palmer amaranth is considered a threat most specifically to the production of cotton and soybean crops in the southern United States.

Previously, Palmer amaranth in Kansas has developed resistance to ALS, atrazine, glyphosate, and HPPD herbicides—mesotrione, Huskie, Laudis, Impact, and Armezon—leaving growers with very few postemergence options to manage this weed.

[17] In 2014, North Dakota State University's "ND Weed Control Guide" selected Amaranthus palmeri, as "weed-of-the-year" to raise awareness about its "potentially devastating impact.

It is considered as naturalized weed which invades both ruderal and segetal (growing in cornfields) plant communities.