718 cxvi. AMARANTACE^S. (J. D. Hooker.) [Digera. 



324 ; Griff. Notul. iv. 343, and Ic. PL Asiai. t. 527 ; Dalz. 8f Gibs. Bomb. 

 Fl. 218, f. 2. D. muricata & ciliata, Mart. Beitr. Amaranth. 77 ; Wall. 

 Cat. 6886, 6887. D. ciliata, Moq. 1. c. D. Forskalii, Blume Bijd. 542. 

 D. alternifolia. Aschers. in Schweinf. Beitr. 180 ; Buiss. Fl. Orient, iv. 994. 

 Desmochete alternifolia, DC. Cat. Hort. Monsp. (1813), 103. D. muricata, 

 Wight Ic. t. 732. D. ciliata, Roem. $ Sch. Syst. v. 553 5 Mart. I. c. 113; 

 Wall. Cat.6$87. Achyranthes polygonoides Retz. Obs. ii. 12 (not ofSeyne}. 

 A. Digera, Poir. Diet. Suppl. i. 2, 11. A. alternifolia, Linn. Mant. 50,341 ; 

 Rovl). Fl. Ind. i. 674, and Ed. Carey Sf Wall. ii. 500. A. .muricata, ft 

 Willd. Sp. PI. i. 1193. Chamissoa arabica, ciliata, commutata & muri- 

 cata, Spreng. Syst. i. 815. Cladostachys alternifolia, Sweet Hort. Brit. 

 Ed. 3, 570. 0. muricata, Moq. L c. 235. 



BENGAL and N.W. INDIA in the plains to Peshawur and the Salt range. PEGU, 

 Wallich. SOUTH DECCAN ; the Concan, Mysore, and the Carnatic, Heyne, &c. 

 CEYLON, N. part of the island. DISTRIB. Java, Affghanistan and Beluchistan to Arabia 

 and N. Africa. 



A glabrous or ciliate slender annual, 1-2 ft. high, becoming perennial, with spread- 

 ing branches, prostrate below. Leaves very variable, membranous, ^-3 in., ovate 

 .and acute or elliptic or rounded, base rounded or cuneate ; petiole | 2 in., slender. 

 Spikes 1-3 in., slender, axillary, long or short peduncled; bracts subulate, persistent; 

 flowers | in. in distant clusters, greenish. Seeds pale. 



7. AlKARANTUS, Linn. 



Annuals. Leaves alternate. Flowers unisexual, small, in axillary 

 clusters, or in panicled erect or drooping densely or laxly spiked clusters. 

 Sepals 5 or 1-3, ovate oblong linear lanceolate or aristate. Stamens 1-5, 

 free ; anthers 2-celled ; staminodes 0. Ovary compressed ; style short or 0, 

 stigmas 2-3 filiform or subulate ; ovule 1, erect. Utricle compressed, 

 indehiscent or circumsciss, tip entire or 2-3-toothed. Seed orbicular, com- 

 pressed, testa crustaceous; embryo annular, cotyledons linear. Species 

 undetermined, tropical and subtropical, a large proportion known only in 

 cultivation. 



* Bracts setaceous or awned, exceeding the 5 sepals. Stamens 5. Utricle 

 circumscisSy top 2-3-jid. 



1. A. spinosus, Linn. ; erect, glabrous, stem terete, leaf -axils with 

 o spines, leaves long-petioled ovate or oblong obtuse, flowers in axillary 

 clusters and long dense- or lax-fld. spikes, bracts setaceous equalling or 

 exceeding the sepals, stamens 5, utricle rugose nearly equalling the sepals. 

 Moq. in DC. Prodr. xii. 2, 260 ; Willd. Amarant. t. 4, f . 8 ; Roxb. Fl. Ind. 

 iii. 611 ; Grah. Cat. Bomb. PL 169 ; Dalz. & Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 216 ; Wight 

 Ic. t. 513 ; Wall. Cat. 6894. 



Throughout INDIA and CEYLON, in waste places, fields and gardens. DISTEIB. 

 Various tropical countries. 



Stem 1-2 ft., hard ; spines straight, | in. and under. Leaves 1J-4 by |-2 in., 

 base cuneate ; petiole slender, equalling the blade or shorter. Flowers ^ in. long. 

 Sepals of male acuminate, of female obtuse apiculate. Stigmas 2.^ Utricle with a 

 thickened top. Seeds 3 g in. diam., black, shining, border obtuse not thickened. The 

 plant varies in colour from green to red and purple. 



2. A. paniculatus,Zw2. Sp.Pl. Ed. 2, 1406 ; tall, robust, stem striate, 

 leaves long-petioled elliptic- or ovate-lanceolate acute or finely acuminate, 

 spikes in dense thyrses squarrose from the long recurved bracts, centre one 



