18 FLORA DOMESTICA. 



AMARANTH. 



AMARANTHUS. 



AMARANTHACEJE. MONCECIA PENTANDRIA. 



Italian, amaranto^ fior veluto [velvet flower]. French, amaranthe ; 

 passe- velours [pass- vel vet] ; fleur d'amour [love-flower]. English, 

 amaranth ; flower-gentle ; velvet-flower. The botanical name is de- 

 rived from the Greek,, and signifies unfading. 



THE species of Amaranth most cultivated in English 

 gardens are the Two-coloured Amaranth, which flowers 

 late in the autumn, with purple and crimson flowers ; 

 the Three-coloured Amaranth*, with variegated flowers, 

 which continue to blow from June to September ; " there 

 is not," says Millar, " a handsomer plant than this in its full 

 lustre;" the PrinceVfeather Amaranth (amar. hypoclion- 

 driachus)., which also varies in colour, and which flowers at 

 the same time ; the Spreading or Bloody Amaranth, with 

 flowers of a red purple, blowing from June to September ; 

 the Pendulous Amaranth, or Love-lies-bleeding, (Fr. dis- 

 cipline des religieuses-) the nun's whipping rope,) with 

 flowers of a red purple, blowing in August and September ; 

 the Cock's comb, or Crested Amaranth [Celosia in pen- 

 tandria monogynia], of which the flowers are red, purple, 

 white, yellow, or variegated, flowering in July and August ; 

 and the Globe Amaranth [Gompkrena in pentandria 

 digynia ; but, like Celosia^ still belonging to the same na- 

 tural family of Amarantliacecc\ of which there are several 

 varieties, white, purple, striped, &c. The purple resembles 

 clover raised to an intense pitch of colour, and sprinkled 

 with grains of gold. The flowers, gathered when full 

 grown, and dried in the shade, will preserve their beauty for 



* French, Jleur de jalousie, jealous-flower ; Italian, maraviglia di 

 Spagna, the Spanish wonder ; papagallo, the parrot ; the Spanish and 

 Portuguese also call it papagayo. 



