A I\I A 



A M A 



ing autiuTin, wlitn two or three of llicm niny be 

 placed 111 a eoninion frame lor shelter in wiiiicr, 

 in order to preserve the species ; as in hard 

 winters, those which are exposed are sometimes 

 destroyed. 



This is properly a rock plant, being hardy, and 

 forming w ith ver\' little care a neat tiitt of flowers, 

 and is not apt to encroach on its neighbours. It is 

 valuable as an ornamental plant from its bcgin- 

 ninir lo flower in March, and continuing through 

 the sunnuer. All thc^e plants mav be employed 

 in borders for the purpose of affording varielv, 

 and some of them in llie way of adorning roek- 

 works. 



AALVRiXNTIlUS, a genus comprising manv 

 plants of the Prince's Ftnther kind. They are 

 uni\crsall\ heibaccous annuals, several ot them 

 Ijcini; highly beautiful and curious. They are 

 Jikev. ise sometimes distinguished bv the titles of 

 flower Gentle, Love-lies-bleeding, Ike. 



It belongs to the class and order ]\lo/iuccia Pcti- 

 laiidr'w, and ranks in the natural order of Mh- 

 tfll<ni(a'. 



The characters are: that those .-pecics \\ hich 

 have male flowers on the same plants w ith the 

 females have a calvx, which is a live- or thrce- 

 leaved pcriaiithium, upright, coloured, and per- 

 manent ; the leaflets lanceolate, and acute : no 

 corolla : the stamina have Ave or three capillary 

 filaments, from upright patulous, of the length 

 of the calyx, the anthera? oblong and versatile. 

 Of those which have female flowers in the same 

 raceme with the males, the calyx is a perian- 

 tliium the same with the former : no corolla: the 

 pistilhim has an ovale germ; the styles three, short 

 and subulate : stign)as simple and permanent : 

 the pericarpium is an ovate capsule, soniewhat 

 compressed, as is also the cal\x on which it 

 is placed, coloured, and of the same size ; 

 three-beaked, one-celled, cut open transverse- 

 ly : the seed is single, globular, compressed, 

 and large. 



The species that demand attention for the pur- 

 pose of culti\ation are very numerous, but those 

 iTiost genera'ly cultivated are: 1. A. mtlaiic/io- 

 //V«.s,'l wo-coloured Amaraiithus; 2. A. tricolor, 

 Three-coloured Amaranthus; 3. A. snn^iiimus, 

 Spreadinti or Bloc.dv Amaranthus ; 4. ^7. cuiidatus. 

 Pendulous Amaranthus, or Love-lies-bleeding; 

 5. A. waximus. Tree Amaranthus; 6. A. crucn- 

 tus, ^"arioHS-leavcd Amaranthus; 7. A. hypo- 

 choidriuciis, Prince's-feather Amaranthus. 



'J he first,orTwo-coliured Amaranthus, has the 

 stim upright, half a fbolhigh,dark purple, smooth, 

 sti caked, and sim])le: the leaves are blunt, wrink- 

 Kd, waved, emarginate, nuicronate, w ith a short 

 vhlte pt)int; the lower ones rufous liver-coloured 

 oil ihe upper surface, bright purple on the Jowcr, 



w]th elevated veins : the upper ones green, witK 

 red ti|is : the petioles ehamulled, bright | urple, 

 smooth, edged at top with the decreasmg leaf; 

 the lower ones nearly the length ot the leaves: 

 the glomerules subsessile, dark purple, on a very 

 short undi\ ided peduiicle : the caK xes five-leav- 

 ed : the leaflets oblong, purple, membranaceous, 

 endino- in a dark red pomt. I'rofessor Martyu 

 observes that this species varies in the colour of 

 the leaves ; as in the <)|)en air thev are of a dirty 

 purple on their u|iper surface, and in the younger 

 ones green ; while in the stove the whole plant 

 is of a fine purple colour. It is, however, easily 

 distinguished in all states by its colour, its leaves, 

 and the lateness of its flowering, which is after 

 all the others are past. It is a native of Guiana 

 and the East Indies. Mr. Miller remarks that 

 it grows to the same heiiiht with the Tricolor, 

 and in the manner of its growth greatly resem- 

 bles it ; but that the leaves have only two colours, 

 an obscure purple and a bright crimson, so 

 blended as to set ofl" each other, making a fine- 

 apjiearanee when the plants are visrorous. 



'i'lie second species, or Three-coloured Ama- 

 ranthus, has the stem a foot and half or two feet 

 in height, obscurelv angular, smooth, and up- 

 rieht : the leaves blue with a red point, smooth, 

 and w aved : the younger ones red with yellow 

 tips: those in a more mature state coralled at the 

 base, violet in the middle, and green at the end : 

 the old ones green with a \ iolet base : the petioles 

 very long, smooth, crecn, channelled, and bor- 

 dered : the glomerules geminate, green, axillary : 

 the calyxes three-leaved: the leaflets oblong, 

 acuminate, membranaceous, with a ureen neiTC. 

 It varies in the colour of the leaves, which are 

 less painted in the open air than in the stove. It 

 has been long cultivated for the beauty of its va- 

 riegated leaves, in which the colours are elegantly 

 mixed. When the plant is in full vigour these 

 are large, and dostlv set from the bottom lo the 

 top of the stalk : the branches also form a sort 

 of pyramid ; so that there is scarcely a more 

 handsome plant when it is in full lustre. It 

 flowers from .Tune to September. And it is a 

 native of Guiana. 



The third, or Bloodv-leaved Amaranthus, has 

 the stem upriLdit, four feet high, firm, red, 

 round, :uul streaked : the leaves somew hat con- 

 vex, or rather so contracted as to have the I'orin 

 of a boat, and pointed; the older ones rather 

 blunt : tlie upper surface is a mixture of red and 

 green, the low er more or less |nirple : the petioles 

 are tinired with purple, ehannelled, roughish; 

 winded at top with the leaf; the racemes very 

 red :' the branches smooth, the lower one spread- 

 ini: : the calyxes five-lea\ed : leaflets oblongs 

 blunt, aieuibrajiaceous,and red: the bracteje subu- 

 1 J 



