AMARANTHACE 113 
Order LXIX.—AMARANTHACEZ:. 
Flowers small, unisexual or bisexual, surrounded by 
dry scarious bracts which are often coloured, and col- 
lected into dense spikes; stamens 3-5, hypogynous ; 
leaves alternate; ovary superior, I-celled. A small order ; 
not alpine. 
1. AMARANTHUS, L. 
Flowers in clusters, subtended by three bracts, uni- 
sexual, green; sepals distinct ; seed-vessel containing a 
single seed. 
A. Blitum, L. (Euxolus viridis, Moc., Albesia Blitum, 
Kunth); seed-vessel indehiscent, stem glabrous, leaves 
ovoid-rhomboidal, glabrous, toothed near the tip, often 
spotted ; road-sides, common. A. deflexus, L. (Albersia 
defiexa, Gren.) ; seed-vessel indehiscent, stem hairy above, 
leaves of three linear-lanceolate lobes; on walls. A. 
viridis, L. (sylvestris, Desf.) ; seed-vessel dehiscing hori- 
zontally, sepals and stamens three each, leaves lanceolate- 
rhomboidal, stem glabrous ; road-sides. A. retroflexus, 
L.; sepals and stamens five each, stem hairy; road- 
sides. 
2. POLYCNEMUM, L. 
Flowers subtended by two bracts, bisexual ; sepals 5 ; 
stamens usually 3, filaments somewhat united. 
P. arvense, L.; bracts shorter than sepals, seed-vessel 
very minute; cultivated land, rare. P. majus, A. Br.; 
bracts longer than sepals, seed-vessel larger, plant more 
robust; fields, rare. 
VOL. II. H 
