AMAI:AXTA( K.I-, (AMAKANTII lA.MII.V.) 427 



Stamens. — Bare mountaiu slopes of the White Mts., and in the Allei?hauie« 

 from V'a. to Ga. ; also coast of Maine and near New hniv port, Mass. July. 



2. P. dichotoma, Nutt. Smooth, tufted ; stems (G- 12' hi^li) ascending 

 from a rather woody base ; leaves (^ - 1 A' long) nud hrurts narrow Iv (itrl-shn/ted ; 

 ci/nies open, man n-times forked ; se])als short-pointed; minute bristles iu place 

 of petals. — Kocks, Md. to X. C. and Te.x. July - Sept. 



3. P. Jam^sii, Torr. & (iray. Suhcespitose, much branched from the 

 somewhat woody base, minutely puherulent; leaves filiform subulate, obtust.' 

 or mucronate; forked cymes rather close; caly.x narrow-campanulate with 

 turbinate base. — Central Kan. to W. Neb., Col., and Tex. 



3. S CLE RAN THUS, L. Knawkt.. 



Sepals 5, united below in an indurated cu]), en<'lnsing tlie utricle. Stamens 

 10 or 5. Styles 2, distinct. — Homely little weeds, witli awlshajjcd leaves, 

 obscure greenish clustered flowers, and no sti])ules. (Name from <rK\T]p6;, 

 hard, and &i/6os,Jlower, from the hardened calyx-tul)e.) 



S. .4\NUUS, L. Much branched, spreading (3-5' high) ; flowers sessile iu 

 the forks; calyx-lobes scarcely margined. — \Vaste places. (Nat. from Ku.) 



Order 8G. AMARANTACEiE. (.\maraxhi Family ) 



Weedy herbs, icilh nearly the characters of the next family, but the flowers 

 mostly imbricated icith dry and scarious persistent bracts ; these of en colored, 

 com)no)dy 3 in number; the 1-celled ovary in our genera 1-ovuIed. (The 

 greater j)art of the order tropical.) 



* Anthers 2-celled ; flowei-s unisexual ; leaves alternate. 

 1. Ainarantus* Flowers monoecious or polygamous, all with a calyx of 3 or 5 dist net 



ereet sepals, not falling off with the fruit. 

 ■-'. Acuida. Flower.s dicecious. Calyx none in the fertile fluwers. 



» ♦ Anthers l-eelled ; flowers perfe-jt; leaves opposite. 



3. Iresine. Calyx of 5 sepals. Filaments united below into a i-ui). F'lowei-s paniculate. 



4. Froelichia. Calyx 5-ck'ft. Filaments united into a tube. Flowers spicate. 



1. AM AR ANT US, Tourn. A.mak.\ntii. 



Flowers mon(Kcious or polygamous, 3-bracted. Calyx of fi. or sometimes 3, 

 ecjual erect sepals, glabrous. Stamens 5, rarely 2 or 3, separate ; anthers 2- 

 celled. Stigmas 2 or 3. Fruit an ovoid 1-seeded utricle, 2 -3-beaked at the 

 ajjex, mostly longer than the calyx, opening transversely or sometimes burst- 

 ing irregularly. Embryo coiled into a ring around the albumen. — Annual 

 weeds, of coarse aspect, with alternate and entire petioled seto.sely tip])ed 

 leaves, and small green or purplish flowers in axillary ttr terminal spiked 

 clusters; in late summer and autumn, {'fikjj.d.pavro'i, u}ifhdinfj,hocAi\sc the dry 

 caly.x and liracts do not wither. 'JMie Komans, like the Greeks, wrote Ama- 

 rantus, which the early l)otanists incorrectly altered to Aniaranlhns.) 

 § 1 . Ulrii le thin, cirriiinscissiie, lite top falliny aicay as a lid ; flowers pot iiqamous. 



* Flowers iu terminal and axillary simple or mostly panirled spikes ; stem erect 

 (1 -6^ high) ; leaves lony-petioled : stamens and sepals .'i. 



■*- Rkd Amaranths. Floivers and of en leaves tinged tvith crimson or purple. 



A. hvpochondhIaccs, L. Glabrous; leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute or 

 pointed at both ends; spikes very oUase, thick, crowded, the terniinal one 



