720 CXVI. AMARANTACEE. (J. D. Hooker) = [Amarantus. 
A. polygamus, Row). l. c.; Wall. Cat. 6899, excl. D, and Wight Ic. 714, not 
of Linn. A. lividus, Rogb. l. c.; Wall. Cat. 6896 C. A.amboinicus, Herb. 
Ham. in Wall. Cat. 6897. A. inamcenus, Willd. Amarant. t. 7, f. 14. 
A. melancholicus, Linn. Sp. Pl. 989; Roxb. L. c. 608. 
Throughout INDIA and CEYLON, cultivated and in cultivated ground.— DISTRIB. 
Tropical Asia, Africa, and America. . : d 
An erect, stout, handsome species, 2-3 ft., leafy, green, pink, rufous, liver-coloured 
or bright red. Leaves 2-5 in., very variable, from linear-lanceolate to rounded oval an 
3 in. diam., or deltoid ovate ; tip rounded or long and slender but always obtuse and 
often notched, base elongate cuneate ; petiole equalling the blade. Clusters squar- 
rose, bracts à in. long. Seeds lenticular, pitch-black, jj in. diam. ; border acute.— 
This is Roxburgh’s A. ¢ristis, and possibly that of Linnzus, but the latter describes 
the leaves as ovate-cordate, which these are not. Roxburgh says that his gangeticus 
and oleraceus differ from his polygamus and tristis and their varieties in not admit- 
ting of being cut for successive crops, but being hence unrooted for market. I have 
not cited Boissier, who says his A. gangeticus is always pentamerous. Of A. melan- 
cholicus Roxburgh says that it differs from tricolor in being 6-12 ft. high, ramous, 
pyramidal, with more remote broader rarely more than 2-coloured (dull livid PP 
and bright crimson) leaves, whereas tricolor in the same soil is 3—4 ft. with simple 
erect stem, many numerously variegated leaves, and long axillary clusters of flowers. 
A. inamænus, Wall. Cat. 6905 C, is a curious small state, 6 in. high, erect, strict, 
with rhomboid leaves and long spikes ; it is the A. tristis, Herb. Rottler and Heyne. 
5. A. mangostanus, Linn. Amen. Acad. iv. 994; branches diffuse, 
leaves small long-petioled ovate elliptic or deltoid-ovate obtuse emarginate, 
clusters green all axillary, bracts awned, sepals lanceolate awned longer than 
the utricle. Mog. in DO. Prodr. xii. 2, 261; Willd. Amarant. t. 12, f. 23. 
A. polygamus, Thwaites Enum. 247. A. tristis, Wall. Cat. 6905 B. 
Throughout INDIA and CEYLON in cultivated ground. . 
This, as Thwaites observes, is extremely near and perhaps a form of 4. gangeticus, 
of smaller size and procumbent habit; he refers it to Roxburgh's 4. polygamus, 
but I think that the want of a terminal spike is against this. A specimen p 
Roxburgh, marked A. mangostanus, precisely accords with Willdenou’s figure. to 
me it looks like a starved or stunted form of gangeticus; the perianth and seeds are 
the same in both. It is 4. mucronatus, Hort. Petrop. 
6. A. Caturus, Heyne in Wall. Cat. 6900; tall, glabrous, leaves long- 
petioled elliptic-lanceolate acuminate thin, nerves very slender, clus Wu 
small globose soft green in very long and very slender axillary simple m 
terminal panieled spikes, the upper confluent, bracts equalling or longe 
than the lanceolate aristate sepals, ovary elongate. 
Deccan PENINSULA, Heyne. lon 
Stem 2-3 ft., very slender. Leaves 6 by 2 in., decurrent on the equally yo 
slender petiole, tip apiculate. Spikes 6-10 in. loug. Clusters 4-} in. diam., t 
lower axillary ; the lowest on the rachis remote. Flowers in. long; sepals transp 
with a green rib and short awn. Stamens 3, anthers linear. Young utricle with 
rather longer neck and 3 slender styles.—I know of no species at all like this ; none 
has such slender spikes. 
*** Bracts usually shorter than the 2 or 3 sepals and utricle. Stamens 
2 or 3. Utricle indehiscent or circumsciss. 
7. A. viridis, Linn. Sp. P1.1405 ; erect, glabrous, leaves long-petiolel 
ovate, tip rounded or notched, base truncate or cuneate, clusters very ro e 
green in axillary and terminal panicled slender spikes, sepals o " 169. 
rugose acute indehiscent. Rowb. Fl. Ind. iii. 605; Grah. Cat. Bom ; 600 ; 
A. polystachyus, Ham. in Wall. Cat. 6901. A. fasciatus, Roxb. l. c. ; 
