122 AM ARANTHACEAE. 



Fruit a utricle, circumscissile or bursting irregularly. 

 Embryo annular; endosperm mealy, usually copious. 



Leaves alternate; flowers unisexual. 1. Amaranthus. 



Leaves opposite; flowers perfect. 2. Alternanthera. 



L AMARANTHUS L. Amaranth. 



Ours annual weeds, with alternate petioled undulate 

 or crisped leaves, and polygamous or monoecious small 

 green or purplish flowers, in dense spikes or axillary 

 clusters. Calyx of 2-5 distinct sepals. Anthers 2-celled, 

 longitudinally dehiscent. Fruit indehiscent or circum- 

 scissile, beaked by the persistent style. 

 Utricle circumscissle, the top lifting off like a lid. 



Stamens 5; herbage roughish pubescent. L A. retroflexus. 

 Stamens 3; herbage glabrous. 



Stems erect, bushy-branched; sepals 3. 2. A. graecizans. 



Stems prostrate; sepals 4-5. 3. A. hlitoides. 



Utricle fleshy, indehiscent. 4. A. deflexus. 



1. A. retroflexus L. Stems stout, erect, with a few erect or 

 ascending branches from the base, 3-10 dm. high; herbage rather 

 deep green often somewhat reddish, roughish-puberulent; leaves 

 rhombic-ovate, ovate or the upper lanceolate, on slender petioles, 

 2-6 cm. long or sometimes longer; flowers green, densely clustered 

 in terminal and axillary spikes, which are sessile, stout, ovoid- 

 cylindric, erect or ascending, 2-4 cm. long, 8-14 mm. broad; bracts 

 lanceolate-subulate, scarious except the carinate midrib, 3-6 mm, 

 long; sepals 5, scarious, oblong-lanceolate, cuspidate, 2 mm. long 

 or less; stamens 5; utricle black and shining, circumscissile, about 

 1 mm. broad. 



Frequent in uncultivated orchards and gardens. Native of 

 Europe. 



2. A. graecizans L. Stems erect, bushy-branched, glabrous, 

 whitish, 2-6 dm. high; leaves oblong, spatulate or obovate, 2-4 cm. 

 long, slender petioled; flowers polygamous, in small axillary clusters; 

 bracts subulate, pungent-pointed, much longer than the 3 mem- 

 branous sepals; stamens 3; utricle slightly rugose, longer than the 

 sepals; seeds about 0.7 mm. broad. (A. albus L.) 



Rather common summer weed in cultivated fields. Native of 

 Europe. 



3. A. blitoides Wats. Stems somewhat succulent, prostrate, 

 3-6 dm. long, whitish; leaves glabrous, deep green, shining; flowers 

 in small axillary few-flowered spikelets; bracts ovate-oblong, shortly 

 acuminate, 2-3 mm. long; sepals 4-5, 1.5-2 mm. long, oblong, obtuse 

 and mucronulate or acute; stamens 3; utricle smooth, circumscissile; 

 seed 1.5 mm. broad. 



Moist soil at Santa Monica, Davidson. Common about Rialto. 



