—— 
470 CVIIl. AMARANTHACEZ. 
8. BETA. 
Celtic bett, red; the usual color of the beet. 
Calyx 5-sepaled; sta. 5; styles 2, very short, erect, with acute stig- 
mas; seed reniform, imbedded in the fleshy calyx.—® Stems furrowed. 
Lvs. alternate. ls. glomerate, green, in spikes or paniculate racemes. 
1. B. vuLGiris. Common Beet.—Fis. in dense, sessile, axillary clusters ; lower 
lus. ovate; rt. fleshy.—This useful culinary is said to grow wild in S. Europe. 
Besides its use in salads, pickles, soups, &c., the beet yields sugar equal to that 
of the cane. There are several varieties, of which the purple-leaved is the 
most esteemed for the kitchen, and the green-leaved for extracting sugar. Aug. 
2. B. Cicua. Scarcity—Lws. with very thick veins; fls. 3 together; ris. 
scarcely any.—Native of Portugal. Root leaves stalked, those of the stem ses- 
sile. Flowers green, numerous, in very long spikes. A culinary plant, with 
very large leaves, used as a salad, &c. Aug. 
8B. Mangel-Wurtzel. Rt. very large-—Cultivated as food for cattle, for which 
purpose it is highly prized by many farmers. 
Orver CVIL SCLERANTHACEA.—Screrantus. 
Herbs small, inconspicuous, with opposite leaves, no stipules and minute, axillary, sessile flowers. 
Cal.—Tube urceolate, limb 4—5-toothed. i ‘ 
Sta. inserted on the calyx tube, and usually twice as many as its lobes. 
Ova. 1, free, 1-seeded. Styles 2or1. Fr. a utricle, in the hardened calyx. 
Seed pendulous from the apex of a funiculus which arises from base of cell. 
Embryo curved around farinaceous albumen. 
Genera 4, species 14, natives of the northern hemisphere. 
SCLERANTHUS. 
Gr. oxXnpos, hard, avSos, when in fruit, the floral envelope appears hard and dry. » 
Calyx persistent, 5-cleft, the tube contracted at the orifice; sta. 
10, rarely 5 or 2; styles 2; utricle very smooth, enclosed in the calyx. 
S. annuus. Common Knawel. 
St. spreading, slightly pubescent; sta. 10; cal. of the fr. with acute, spread- 
ing segments.—(@) weed in dry fields and roadsides, N. Eng. and Mid. States. 
Stems numerous, branching, decumbent, short, ending with leafy clusters of 
sessile,green flowers. The leaves are numerous, linear, acute, short, opposite, 
partially united at their basis. Fils. very small, green, in axillary fascicles. Jl. 
Orver CVIIL AMARANTHACE Al.—Amarantus, 
Herbs or shrubs, with opposite or alternate leaves, without stipules. 
Fis. in heads or spikes usually colored, generally perfect. 
Cal.—Sepals 3—5, dry and scarious, persistent, generally with dry, colored bracts. 
Sta. 5 orsome multiple of 5, distinct or monadelphous, hypogynous. 
Ova. 1, free, 1 or few-ovuled. Style 1ornone. Stigma. simple or compound. 
Fr. a utricle. Seeds pendulous. Embryo curved around farinaceous albumen. 
Genera 38, species 282, most abundant in warm latitudes. A few of them are cultivated for their richly 
colored, imperishable flowers. Others are mere weeds. 
Conspectus of the Genera. 
Rachis terete or furrowed. © 9 ge tela 72 eerie. 3 
Celosia. 
alternate. ? Rachis broad, flat and crest-form. a 4 iaevie® baie bine eee ae 5 
oS F Sens paniculate. . . . . Iresine. a 
7 out whitish or greenish. ? Flowers spicate. . .  . - Oplotheca. 3 
Leaves Lopposite. ¢Bracts crimson. Flowers capitate. © 0 ee ew es (Gomphrena.. 4 
1. AMARANTHUS. 
Gr. a, not, papatvw, to wither; the flowers of some of the species are imperishable. 
Fls. & 2; calyx deeply 3—5-parted, mostly colored, persistent ; 
segments lanceolate, acute. o& Stamens 3—5. Q Styles 2—3; cap- 
sule 1-celled, circumscissile; seed 1.—@ Herbs with alternate leaves. 
Fils. in azillary and terminal clusters, rarely scattered. 
* Flowers triandrous. 
1. A. atsus. White Cock’s-comb. 
St. obtusely angular ; /rs. obovate, retuse; As. triandrous, in small, axillary 
