108. AMARANTACEJE. 



rarely 4, stigmas capitate or feathery. Ovules 1, rarely (Celosiese) 

 several, camplotropous, erect basilar or pendulous from a slender 

 basilar funicle. Fruit a utricle, rarely a berry or capsule or a nut, 

 sometimes enclosed in the perianth. Seed compressed, testa crus- 

 taceous. Embryo annular or horseshoe-shaped, albumen mealy. 



I. Ovary 2-man5^-ovuled. Leaves alternate :— 



Sarmeutose shrub. Fruit baccate 1. Deeringia. 



Herbs. Fruit a membranous utricle 2. Celo$ia. 



II. Ovary 1-ovuled. Leaves alternate or opposite:— 



A. Ovule erect. Leaves alternate :— 



1. Flowers 2-sexual: — 



Flowers capitate. Fruit circumsciss . . . .3. Allmania. 

 Flowers spicate. Fruit a nut 4. Digera. 



2. Flowers 1-sexual :— 



Flowers in axillary and spiked clusters . . . 5. Amarantut. 



B. Ovule suspended from a slender basal funicle :— 



1. Anthers 2-celled: — 



a. Flowers without staminodes, in clusters of 1-3 



perfect and several imperfect and altered. 



L. opposite 6. Pupalia. 



b. Flowers with staminodes, without accessory 



deformed and imperfect ones :— 

 Sepals hyaline woolly. L. alt. or opposite . . 7. jEriia, 

 Sepals shining, one or all spinesceut, fls. deflexed 8. Achyrantheg. 



2. Anthers 1-celled. Leaves opposite :— 



St. -tube short. Stigma capitate, subsessile . . .9. AUernanthera, 

 St. -tube long. Stigma 2-fid on long style . . .10. Gomphrena. 



1. DEERINGIA, Br. 



Rambling or climbing shrubs with alternate leaves and small 

 1-2-sexual flowers, in simple or panicled spikes. Tepals 5, scarcely 

 scarious, spreading in fruit. Stamens 4-6, connate at the base, 

 anthers 2-celled. Ovary sessile or shortl}^ stipitate with a short style 

 and 2-4 stigmatic branches. Ovules many on long funicles. Fruit 

 baccate. Seeds few or many. 



1. D. baccata, Moq. Syn. D. celosioides, Br. ; Celosia baccata, 

 Retz (1779) ; Gaulmauni, Beng. 



A rambling or subscandent shrub Avith long arching branches, 

 ovate or ovate -lanceolate acuminate petioled leaves 2-5" long and 

 small greenish-white flowers in numerous panicled spikes 3-6" long. 

 Very pretty in fruit when it bears an abundance of small scarlet 

 globose somewhat 3-gonous berries, each with a few black seeds. 



Champaran, common in open riverain mixed forest ! Purneah, common ! 

 Monghyr, Ham. ! Palamau, scarce, near the Sone River ! Fl. Sept. Fr. Nov.- 

 Jan. 



Glabrous. L. with rounded or acute base and 7-9 arching sec. n. Flowers 2- 

 sexual (in my specimen) with small subulate bracts about as long as the very short 

 pedicels and ovate bracteoles. Tepals linear- oblong, "OS" long. Disc annular. 

 Stigmas 2-4. Berry "2," diam. 



The berries have a somewhat bitter taste. 



2. CELOSIA, L. 



Herbs with alternate leaves. Flowers white or pink, shining ; 

 clustered or spicate. Perianth of 5 scarious striate or ribbed tepals. 

 Stamens connate into a cup at the base, anthers 2-celled. Disc very 



758 



