WOOTON AND STANDLEY FLOKA OF NEW MEXICO. 211 



Sepals ;j; plants tall, stout, erect; iuflorescence mostly of 

 dense terminal spikes. 



Sepals contracted near the base 3. A. pringlei. 



Sepals not contracted at the base. 

 Stamens uniformly 3. 



Seed obovate 4. A. obovatus. 



Seed orbicular. 



Sepals obtuse, purplish, firm; spikes leafy, 



interrupted 5. A. ivrightii. 



Sepals acute, whitish, scarious; spikes naked, 



dense 6. A. powellii. 



Stamens 5, or rarely fewer. 



Plants densely viscid; bracts about 3 times as 



long as the sepals 7. ^4. bracteosus. 



Plants not viscid; bracts twice as long as the 

 sepals or shorter. 



Sepals obtuse; spikes stout, erect 8. A. retrojlexus. 



Sepals acute; spikes slender, drooping. 



Inflorescence green 9. A. hybridus. 



• Inflorescence red 10. A. paniculatus. 



1. Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats. Proc. Amer. Acad. 12: 274. 1877. 

 Type LocALrry: Larkins Station, San Diego County, California. 

 Range: Western Texas to the Pacific coast, southward into Mexico. 



New Mexico: Common from the Mogollon Mountains and Socorro to the White 

 Mountains and Pecos Valley and southward across the State. Lower and Upper 

 Sonoran zones. 



A tall, coarse native weed, usually 50 to 100 cm. high, occasionally reaching 250 

 cm., common in fields, on ditch banks, and along roadsides. The staminate plants are 

 usually rather slender, and the terminal spike is frequently weak and drooping, 

 sometimes considerably elongated. The pistillate plants are usually branched near 

 the base and sometimes spread considerably, while the spikes are very dense and 

 elongated, ultimately becoming very spiny from the fruiting bracts. 



In some localities the plant is considered valuable as stock feed and has been cut 

 and cured for hay when at the right stage of growth. It is said to cause bloating in 

 cattle when eaten in too great abundance while the plants are young and succulent. 



2. Amaranthus torreyi (A. Gray) Benth.; S. Wats. Bot. CaUf. 2: 42. 1880. 

 Amblogyne torreyi A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. 5: 167. 1861. 



Type locality: Western Texas. 



Range: Nebraska to Nevada, southward into New Mexico, western Texas, and 

 Mexico. 



New Mexico: Arroyo Ranch {Griffiths 5702). Upper Sonoran Zone. 



The species is probably more or less common along the eastern tier of counties of 

 the State, but we know of only the single collection cited above. 



3. Amaranthus pringlei S. Wats. Proc. Amer. Acad. 21: 476. 1886. 

 Type locality: On rocky hills near Chihuahua, Mexico. 

 Range: Western Texas to Nevada, southward into Mexico. 



New Mexico: Mangas Springs; Berendo Creek; Mineral Creek; Organ Mountains; 

 Dog Spring. Upper Sonoran Zone. 



This is much rarer than the other species of the genus, occurring mostly in the foot- 

 hills and lower mountains and not appearing as a weed. 



4. Amaranthus obovatus S. Wats. Proc. Amer. Acad. 12: 275. 1877. 



Type locality: Copper Mines, New Mexico. Type collected by Wright (no. 1748, 

 in part). 



