BUCKWHEAT AND ITS ALLIES. 107 



The nutrient-ratio and nutrient-value of the three chief mem- 

 bers of the present group will stand thus : 



Nutrient-ratio. Nutrient-value. 



Amaranth ... ... ... i : 5 '3 ... 90 



Buckwheat ... ... ... i : 47 ... 86 



Quinoa ... 1:3 78 



The plants yielding the products to be discussed in the present 

 chapter belong to three nearly related Natural Orders : 



Order, AMARANTACE.E. Genera. 



Tribe i. CELOSIE^. Celosia. 



ii. AMARANTACEJE. Amarantus. 

 Order, CHENOPODIACE^E. 



Tribe i. EUCHENOPODIE^E. Chenopodium. 

 Order, POLYGONACE^E. 



Tribe iii. EUPOLYGONE/E. Fagopyrum. 



Celosia cristata, L. 

 Punjab Sil, Siyal, Siya, Mawal, Dhurra. 



An erect herbaceous annual, having smooth, generally oval, 

 leaves. The numerous seeds are lenticular or reniform. It 

 occurs throughout India, cultivated or as an escape. 



The seeds of this species of Celosia have not been submitted 

 to detailed chemical analysis, but there are good reasons for 

 concluding that, while generally inferior as a food-grain to 

 Amarantus, it does not differ widely in chemical composition 

 from that of the seeds of the common kind of Amarantus. 



COMMON AMARANTH. 

 Amarantus paniciilatus, L. 



Synonyms A. frumentaceus (Ham. in Roxb. "Flora Indica"); A. anardana 

 (Ham. in Wall. Cat.) ; A. speciosus (Sims) ; A. sanguineus (Linn.) ; A. 

 strictus (Willd.). 



Beng. Sag. Tamil Pting-kiray. 



Punjab Ganhar, sil, sinl, sawal, bhabri, savalana, batu, daukar, chaulei, etc. 



A tall robust annual, stem striate, leaves long-petioled, elliptic 

 or ovate-lanceolate acute or finely acuminate. Seeds yellowish 



