274 ^PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



for it ; but that species is usually erect, with shorter and more scarious 

 bracts, and a smaller seed more notched at the hilum. The allied 

 A. albus, Linn., also common and indigenous throughout the interior, 

 is distinguished by its usually erect dilFusely branched habit : rhachis 

 of the spikelets often somewhat elongated (^ to 3 lines long) : bracts 

 subulate, rigid, pungently awned, 1 to 2| lines long, the lateral ones very 

 much smaller or wanting : sepals oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, shorter 

 than the slightly rugose utricle: seed smaller (| line broad). It is 

 very abundant on the western prairies, where it is populai-ly known as 

 "rolling" or "tumble-weed," the stem breaking off at the root when 

 dry and the compact top rolling before the wind to any distance. 



Amaranths (Amblogyne) Pa.lmeri, Dioecious, rather stout, 

 erect, 2 or 3 feet high, branching, somewhat pubescent above or glab- 

 rate : leaves oblong-rhomboid, an inch or two long and about equalling 

 the petiole, the upper linear-lanceolate : flowers in close elongated 

 linear spikes, leafy at base : bracts solitary, mostly twice longer than 

 the flowers, spreading, subulate and rigid, narrowed into a stout awn : 

 sepals of fertile flowers distinct or nearly so, 1 to 1 J lines long, oblong 

 and somewhat broader above, obtuse or retuse, two or three usually 

 slightly larger and more acute or setaceously apiculate : stigmas 

 usually 2 : utricle circumscissile. — At Larkin's Station, San Diego 

 County, California, by Dr. E. Palmer (n. 323 of his collection) ; also 

 on the banks of the Rio Grande, by Berlandier (n. 2407) in 1834. 

 Staminate flowers have not been detected among the fruiting speci- 

 mens, but what is probably to be considered the sterile form has been 

 found by various collectors from the Rio Grande through Arizona to 

 S. California and Cape St. Lucas. These accord in habit and foliage 

 with the pistillate plants, and have very narrowly acuminate or seta- 

 ceous pungent bracts, equalling or usually exceeding the lanceolate 

 long-acuminate sepals. An examination of all our species of the group 

 seems to fully justify the reference by Mr. Bentham of the genus 

 Arnblogyne (including Sarratia) to Amarantus. To the A. jimhriatus, 

 A. Torreyi, &c., of the same region, the following species from the 

 mouth of the Rio Grande may be added : — 



Amaranths (Amblogyne) Greggii. Dicecious, erect, glabrous or 

 nearly so : upper leaves rhombic-ovate, an inch long or less, on short 

 petioles, rather thick and somewhat scabrous : spike elongated, leafy and 

 interrupted at base : bracts solitary, lanceolate, acuminate, scarious, erect, 

 much shorter than the fruiting calyx: sepals distinct, \^ lines long, 

 oblong-spatulate, acute, the inner ones somewhat the narrower below : 

 stigmas 3 : utricle a little shorter, thin and not circumscissile : seed 



