210 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM, 
Anthers 2-celled; leaves opposite (mainly basal in 
Gossypianthus); at least the younger parts of the 
plant white-hairy. 
Pubescence of stellate hairs..................-... 3. CLADOTHRIX (p. 213). 
Pubescence not stellate. 
Stems erect; fruiting calyx with spiny crests... 4. FRoELIcHIA (p. 214). 
Stems decumbent or prostrate (except in one 
species of Gomphrena); fruiting calyx 
not with spiny crests. 
Stamens perigynous...................... 8. BRAYULINEA (p. 216). 
Stamens hypogynous. 
Stems erect or decumbent; heads of 
flowers pedunculate or terminal, 
large, 2 to3 cm. in diameter.... 5. GoMPHRENA (p. 214). 
Stems prostrate; flower clusters sessile, 
axillary, small, 1 cm. in diame 
ter or less. 
Staminodia wanting; cauline 
leaves elliptic-lanceolate, 
15 mm. long or Jess, appear- 
ing as bracts subtending the 
flower clusters............- 6. GossYPIANTHUS (p. 215), 
Staminodia present (shorter than 
the filaments); cauline 
leaves obovate-spatulate, 
petiolate, 15 to 30 mm. 
long, not bractiform....... 7. ALTERNANTHERA (p. 215), 
1. AMARANTHUS L. Amaranty. Piawezep. 
Rather coarse annuals; flowers moncecious or dicecious, with 5 or fewer hyaline or 
greenish scalelike sepals, subtended by spine-tipped greenish or reddish bracts, 
borne in axillary clusters or in terminal paniculately branched spikes; petals wanting; 
stamens 5 or fewer; pistil solitary, with 2 or 3 styles; fruit a single-seeded indehiscent 
or circumscissile pyxis. 
The leaves and seeds of the amaranths were formerly used for food by the Indians. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES. 
-Flowers dicecious (in long terminal paniculate spikes). 
Bracts of the pistillate flowers much longer than the flowers, 
aristate-pungent.......... ee ne 1, A. palmeri. 
Bracts of the pistillate flowers of the same length as the flowers, 
not pungent....... 2... eee eee eee cece cece cece 2. A, torreyi, 
Flowers moneecious, in short,clustered, terminal or axillary spikes. 
Sepals usually fewer than 5; plants low, usually spreading or 
ascending; inflorescence mostly of axillary clusters. 
Sepals 4 or 5; plants prostrate; seeds about 1.6 mm. in 
diameter...-_.....22--02220 22-202 eee eee eee eee 11. A. blitoides. 
Sepals 3; plants erect or spreading; seeds 0.8 mm. in 
diameter. 
Plants glabrous or glabrate; leaves plane............ 12. A. graecizans. 
Plants viscid-pubescent; leaves crispate............ 13. A. pubescens. 
