398 AMAKANTACE.E. (AMAUANTH FAMILY.) 



3. SIPHONYCHIA, I'.'rr. & (iray. 

 Sepiils 5, niiiicil to tlio iiiidcllf, ourK-ave aii<l jietal-like aliovc, olitiisc or inn- 

 croiiatc. Siaiiu'iis inserted oii the tliroat of tlie ralvx. JStylc slender, 2-cleft. 

 Utricle incluiied. Seed resupinate. Radicle su|)erior. — Krect or diffusely 

 ]>rostrate lierlis. Cymes deuse-Howered. I'lowers white. 



1. S. Americana, Torr. & Gray. Stems prostrate, diffuse, puliescent iu 

 line?; leaves lancii dale, narrowed at the hiuse; the radical ones larger and 

 crowded ; Howers obovate, solitary in the forks of the stem, and clustered at 

 the eud of the hrauches; sepals rounded and incurved at the a])ex, the tube 

 bristly with hooked hairs. — Sandy soil, Florida to South Candina, and west- 

 ward. .hme-Oct. Cl) or (2) — Stems 1°- 2° long. Stipules small. 



2. S. diffusa, Chapm. Pubescent; stems prostrate, diffusely branched; 

 leaves lanceolate, obtuse; Howcrs in compact, rectangular terminal cymes; 

 sepals linear, slightly concave and mucronate at the ajicx, the tube bristly 

 with hooked hairs. — Dry sandy pine barrens, Florida. June — Oct. (l) — 

 Stems 1^ long. Sti])ules couspicuous, on young plants half as long as the 

 leaves, at length 2-parted. Cymes very numerous. 



3. S. erecta, Chapm. Stems smooth, clustered, erect, mostly simple; 

 leaves erect, linear; those of the barren stems imbricated; cyme compound, 

 rectangular, compact; sejKvls lanceolate, smooth, acutish, or obscurely mucro- 

 nate at the apex, the tube smooth and furrowed. — Sands along the west coast 

 of Florida. June -Nov. ^ — Root woody. Stems 6' -12' high. Stipules 

 half as long as the leaves. 



Order 108. AMARANTACE^. (Amaranth Family.) 



Chiefly herbs, with simple exstipulate leaves, and inconspicuous 

 scariou.«;-bracted flowers, which are commonly crowded in spikes or 

 heads. — Sepals 3 - 5, free, or united at the base, imbricated in the 

 bud. Stamens 3 - 5, hypogynous, opposite the sepals, free, or united 

 below, often with sterile filaments interposed : anthers 1 - 2-celled, 

 introrse. Ovary single, ovate, 1 -many-ovuled. Stigmas 1-5. Utri- 

 cle closed or circumscissile. Embryo coiled into a ring around the 

 central albumen. 



Synopsis. 



Tribe L CELOSTE.^. Anthers 2-ceUed. Ovary many-ovuled. 

 1. CELOSIA. Stamens united at the ba.se. Utricle circumscissile. 

 TaiBB n. ACHYRANTHE.^. Anthers 2-celled. Ovary 1-ovuled. — Leaves alter- 

 nate. Stamens free. Sterile filaments none. 



* Utricle circumscissile. 

 •2. AMAR.\XTUS. Flowers monoecious. Sepals 3 -5. 



* • Utricle indehiscent. 



3. EUXGLUS. Flowers all alike, monoecious, sessile. Sepals 3 -5. 



4. AMBLOOTNA. Flowers monoecious. Calyx of the staminate flower 3-sepalous, of the 



pistillite flower 5-parted. funnel-shaped. 



5. 8CLER0PUS. Flowers monrecious. Sepals 5. Stamens 3. Fruiting pedicels indu- 



rated and deciduous with the fruit. 



