I. AMARANTHUS HYPOCHONDRIACUS. 

 PRINCE'S FEATHER. 



THIS genus comprises many plants of the Prince's Feather kind. 

 They are universally herbaceous annuals, several of them being highly 

 beautiful and curious. They are likewise sometimes distinguished 

 by the titles of Flower Gentle, Love-lies-bleeding, &c. 

 . It belongs to the class and order Moncecia Pentandria, and ranks 

 in the natural order of Miscellanea. 



The characters are : that those species which have male flowers 

 on the same plants with the females have a calyx, which is a five 

 or three-leaved perianthium, upright, coloured, and permanent; the 

 leaflets lanceolate, and acute: no corolla: the stamina have five or 

 three capillary filaments, from upright patulous, of the length of the 

 calyx, the anlherae oblong and versatile. Of those which have female 

 flowers in the same raceme with the males, the calyx is a perianlhium 

 the same with the former: no corolla: the pistillum has an ovate 

 germ; the styles three, short and subulate: stigmas simple and per- 

 manent: the pericarpium is an ovate capsule, somewhat compressed, 

 as is also the calyx on which it is placed, coloured, and of the same 

 size; three-beaked, one-celled, cut open transversely: the seed is 

 single, globular, compressed, and large. 



The species that demand attention for the purpose of cultivation 

 are very numerous, but those most generally cultivated are: I. A. 

 melancholicus, Two-coloured Amaranthus; 2. A. tricolor, Three-co- 

 loured Amaranthus; 3. A. sangninei/s, Spreading or Bloody Ama- 

 ranthus; 4. A. caudutus, Pendulous Amaranthus, or Love-lies-bleed- 

 ing; 5. A. mavitnus, Tree Amaranthus; 6. A.cruentus, Various-leaved 

 Amaranthus; 7- A. hypochondriacus, Prince's-feather Amaranthus. 



