510 



AMARANTACE.E. 



[Hypogynous Exogens.' 



Order CXCIV. AMARANTACE^.— Amaranths. 



Amaranthi, Jms. Gen. 87. (1789). 

 Monogr. (1S26); Endl. Gen.ca.; 



— Amarantaceae, 

 Meisn, Gen. 316.- 



R. Brown, Prodr. 413. (1810); Von Martins 

 -Polycnemeae, Moq. Tand. in Ann. Sc. n. s. 7. 41. 



Diagnosis. — Ohenopodal Exogens, with separate sepals opposite the stamens, imwlly one- 

 celled anthers, a single ovary often containing several seeds, and scarious flowers 

 tuned in imbricated bracts. 



Herbs or shrubs. Leaves simple, opposite or alternate, without stipules. Flowers in 

 heads or spikes, usually coloured, occasionally imisexual, generally hermaphrodite. 

 Pubescence simple, the hairs di\dded by 

 internal partitions. Sepals 3 or 5, hj-po- 

 gynous, scarious, persistent, herbaceous 

 or coloured, distinct or united at the 

 base, all equal, sometimes with 3 more 

 interior than the others, the back one 

 being sometimes dissimilar, occasionally 

 with 2 bractlets at the base, and generally 

 immersed in dry colom'ed bracts. Sta- 

 mens hypogj-nous, either 5 opposite the 

 sepals, or some multiple of that number, 

 either distinct or monadelphous, occa- 

 sionally partly abortive ; anthers either 

 2-celled or 1-ceUed. Ovary single, free, 

 1- or few-seeded ; the ovules amphitropal 

 1 or none ; stigma simple or compovmd 



CCCXLIX. 



hanging from a free centi'al funiculus ; style 

 Fruit a membranous utricle, sometimes a 

 earyopsis or berry. Seeds lentiform, pendulous ; testa crustaceous ; albumen central, 

 farinaceous ; embryo cm'ved round the circumference ; radicle next the hilum. 



Distinct as this Order appears to be from Chenopods in habit, especially if we compare 

 such a genus as Gomphrena vAt\\ Chenopodium itself, yet it is so difficult to define the 

 differences which distinguish the two Orders, that, beyond habit, nothing certain can be 

 pointed out. Brown remarks {Prodr. 4 1 3.) that he has not been able to ascertain any 

 absolute diagnosis to distinguish them by; for the hypogynous insei'tion attributed to 

 their stamens is not only not constant in the Order, but is also found in Chenopods. 

 Martins, in a learned dissertation upon the Order, describes Chenopods as being 

 apetalous, and Amaranths as polypetalous, considering the bractlets of these latter as 

 a calyx, and that which I call a calyx a coroUa. But it seems to me that this view of 

 then* stmcture is not borne out by analogy, and that it is impossible to believe the floral 

 envelopes of the two Orders to be of a different natvure. Endlicher observes that, 

 although no single character di%ades them, yet they may be knowTi by several charac- 

 ters taken together: thus Gomphrenese have one-celled anthers, and Celoseae many 

 seeds ; of the remainder, which are most like Chenopods, some differ from Salicornids 

 in the stem not being jointed, others from Atriplicids in the ^ and $ flowers not 

 being different. Bartling combmes the whole in a smgle class, along with Caryo- 

 phyllese, Phytolaccaceae, Scleranthacese, and lUecebracese ; and there is no doubt of 

 the affinity borne to each other by all these, as is pointed out by their habit and by the 

 stnictm'e of their seeds. lUecebracese are in fact only known by theu' petals, compoimd 

 ovary, and great membranous stipviles. It has been stated by Sclileiden that the singu- 

 lar mixed wood of Phytolaccads and some Chenopods also occm's in Amaranthus vundis. 

 I do not, however, find it in the woody species, such as Deeringia celosioides, Cometes 

 abyssinica, and Desmochseta flavescens ; but some tendency towards it seems to exist 

 in AchjTanthes arborescens. The point requu'es to be carefully investigated. Schultz 

 describes the wood as being something between Peperomia and Piper. He says that 

 the axis of Amaranthus contains very numerous fibrovascular bundles, but Achyranthes 

 only 1 or 2. 



Amaranths grow in crowds or singly, either in dry, stony, barren stations, or among 

 tliickets upon the borders of woods, or a few even in salt marshes. They are much 

 more frequent within the tropics than beyond them, and are imknown in the coldest 

 regions of the world. Of those known to Martins 53 are found in ti'opical Asia, 105 in 



Fig. CCCXLIX.— Celosia longifolia. 1. a flower: 2. the stamens; 3. the o\'ules; 4. a section 

 of the seed. 



