AMA 



trior autumn, when two or three of them may be 

 placed in a common frame for shelter in winter, 

 m order to preserve the species; as in hard 

 winters, those which are exposed are sometimes 

 destroyed. 



This is properly a rock plant, being hardy, and 

 forming w ith very little care a neat tuft of flowers, 

 and is not apt to encroach on its neighbours. It is 

 valuable as an ornamental plant from its begin- 

 ning to flower in March, and continuing through 

 the summer. All these plants may be employed 

 in binders for the purpose of affording variety, 

 and some of them in the way of adorning rock- 

 works. 



AMARANTHUS, a genus comprising many 

 plants of the Prince's Feather kind. Tiny 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, Js:c. 



It belongs to the class and order Monaecia P< n- 

 tandria, and ranks in the natural order of Mis~ 

 cellanete. 



The characters arc: 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 per- 

 manent-, 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 antherae oblong and versatile. 

 Of those which have female flow ers in the same 

 raceme with the males, the calvx is a perian- 

 thium the same with the former : no corolla: the 

 pistillumhas an ovate germ ; thestyles three, short 

 and subulate : stigmas simple and permanent : 

 the periearpium is an ovate capsule, somewhat 

 compressed, as is also the calvx on which it 

 is placed, coloured, and of the same size ; 

 three-beaked, one-celled, cut open transverse- 

 ly : the seed is single, globular, compressed, 

 and large. 



The species that demand attention for the pur- 

 pose of cultivation are very numerous, but those 

 most generally cultivated are: l. yj. meUmcho- 

 licus,! wo-coloured Amaranthus ; 2. A. tricolor, 

 Three-coloured Amaranthus; 3. A. sanguineus, 

 Spreading 01 Bloody Amaranthus; 4.A.caudatus, 

 Pendulous Amaranthus, or Love-lies-bleeding; 

 5. A. tnaximus, Tree Amaranthus; C. A. cruen- 

 tus, Various-leaved Amaranthus; 7. A. hypo~ 

 thojidriacus, I lince's-ieather Amaranthus. 



r i he first | or Two-coloured Amaranthus, has the 

 stem 1. 1 nj l.t. hall aloothigh,dark purple,smooth, 

 streaked, and simple: the leaves are blunt, wrink- 

 led, waved, ei alginate, mucronatc, with a short 

 white point; tie lower ones rufous liver-coloured 

 on the upper surface, bright purple on the lower) 



A M A 



with elevated veins : the upper ones green, with 

 red tips : the petioles channelled, bright purple, 

 smooth, edged at top with the decreasing leafs 

 the lower ones nearly the length of the leaves : 

 the glomerules subsessile, dark purple, on a very 

 short undivided peduncle : the calyxes five-leav- 

 ed : the leaflets oblong, purple, membranaceous, 

 ending in a dark red point. Professor Martyn 

 observes that this species varies in the colour of 

 the leaves ; as in the open air they are of a dirty 

 purple on their upper surface, and in the younger 

 ones green; while in the stove the whole plant 

 is of a fine purple colour. It is, however, easily 

 distinguished in all states by its colour, its leaves, 

 and the lateness of its flowering, which is after 

 all the others are past. It is a native of Guiana 

 and the Last Indies. Mr. Miller remarks that 

 it grows to the same height with the Tricolor, 

 and in the manner of its growth greatly resem- 

 bles it ; but that the leaves have only two colours, 

 An obscure purple and a bright crimson, so 

 blended as to set off each other, making a fine 

 appearance when the plants are vigorous. 



The second species, or Three-coloured Ama- 

 ranthus has the stem a foot and half or two feet 

 in height, obscurely angular, smooth, and up- 

 right: the leaves blue with a red point, smooth, 

 and waved : the younger ones red with yellow- 

 tips: those in a more mature state coralled at the 

 base, violet in the middle, and green at the endt 

 the old ones green with a violet base : the petioles 

 very long, smooth, green, channelled, and bor* 

 dered : the glomerules geminate, green, axillary : 

 the calyxes three-leaved : the leaflets oblong, 

 acuminate, membranaceous, with a green nerve. 

 It varies in the colour of the leaves, which are 

 less painted in the open air than in the stove. It 

 has been long cultivated for the beauty of its va- 

 riegated leaves, in which the colours are elegantly 

 mixed. When the plant is in full vigour these 

 are large, and closely set from the bottom to the 

 top of the stalk : the branches also form a sort 

 of pyramid ; so that there, is seaiccly a more 

 handsome plant when it is in full lustre. It 

 flowers from June to September. And it is a 

 native of Guiana. 



The third, or Bloody-leaved Amaranthus, has 

 the stem upright, four feet high, firm, red, 

 round, and streaked : the leaves somewhat con» 

 vex, or rather so contracted as to have the form 

 of a boat, and pointed; the older ones rather 

 blunt : the upper surface is a mixture of red and 

 green, the lower more or less purple : the petioles 

 are tinged with purple, channelled, roughish ; 

 winged at top with the leaf: the racemes very 

 red : the branches smooth, the lower one spread- 

 ing : the calyxes five-leaved: leaflets oblong, 

 blunt, membranaceous, and red: thebracteaesubu- 

 12 



