510 



AMARANTACEjE. 



[Hypogynois Exogens. 



Fig. CCCXLIX. 



Order CXCIV. AMARANTACEjE.— Amaranths. 



Amaranth!, Jut*. Gen. 87. (1789).- Amarantaceae, R. Brown, Prodr. 413. (1810); Von Martiu* 

 Ifonogr. 11826,; Endl. Gen. cii.; Meisn. Gen. 316.-Polycnemeae, Moq. Tand. in Ann. Sc. n. s. 7. 41. 



Diagnosis.— Chenopodal Exogens, with separate sepals opposite the stamens, usually one- 

 celled anthers, a single ovary often containing several seeds, and scanous flowers 

 buried in imbricated bracts. 



Herbs or slirubs. Leaves simple, opposite or alternate, without stipules. Flowers in 

 heads or spikes, usually coloured, occasionally unisexual, generally hermaphrodite. 

 Pubescence simple, the hairs divided by 

 internal partitions. Sepals 3 or 5, hypo- 

 gynous, scarious, persistent, herbaceous 

 or coloured, distinct or united at the 

 base, all equal, sometimes with 3 more 

 interior than the others, the back one 

 being sometimes dissimilar, occasionally 

 with 2 bractlets at the base, and generally 

 immersed in dry coloured bracts. Sta- 

 mens hypogynous, either 5 opposite the 

 sepals, or some multiple of that number, 

 either distinct or monadelphous, occa- 

 sionally partly abortive ; anthers either 

 2-celled or 1 -celled. Ovary single, free, 

 1- or few-seeded ; the ovules amphitropal, hanging from a free central funiculus ; style 

 1 or none ; stigma simple or compound. Fruit a membranous utricle, sometimes a 

 caryopsis or berry. Seeds lentiform, pendulous ; testa crustaceous ; albumen central, 

 farinaceous ; embryo curved round the circumference ; radicle next the hilum. 



Distinct as this Order appears to be from Chenopods in habit, especially if we compare 

 such a genus as Gomphrena with Chenopodium itself, yet it is so difficult to define the 

 differences which distinguish the two Orders, that, beyond habit, nothing certain can be 

 pointed out Brown remarks (Prodr. 413.) that he has not been able to ascertain any 

 absolute diagnosis to distinguish them by; for the hypogynous insertion attributed to 

 their stamens is not only not constant in the Order, but is also found in Chenopods. 

 Martius, in a learned dissertation upon the Order, describes Chenopods as bemg 

 apetalous, and Amaranths as polypetalous, considering the bractlets of these latter as 

 a calyx, and that which I call a calyx a corolla. But it seems to me that this view of 

 their structure is not borne out by analogy, and that it is impossible to believe the floral 

 envelopes of the two Orders to be of a different nature. Endlicher observes that, 

 although no single character divides them, yet they may be known by several charac- 

 ters taken together: thus Gomphrenese have one-celled anthers, and Celoseae many 

 seeds ; of the remainder, which are most like Chenopods, some differ from Salicornid9 

 in the' stem not being jointed, others from Atriplicids in the $ and ? flowers not 

 being different. Bartiing combines the whole in a single class, along with Caryo- 

 phyllese, Phytolaccacese, Scleranthacese, and Illecebracese ; and there is no doubt of 

 the affinity borne to each other by all these, as is pointed out by their habit and by the 

 structure of their seeds. Illecebraceae are in fact only known by their petals, compound 

 ovary, and great membranous stipules. It has been stated by Schleiden that the singu- 

 lar mixed wood of Phytolaccads and some Chenopods also occurs in Amaranthus viridis. 

 1 do not, however, find it in the woody species, such as Deeringia celosioides, Cometes 

 abyssinica, and Desmochseta flavescens ; but some tendency towards it seems to exist 

 in Achyranthes arborescens. The point requires to be carefully investigated. Schultz 

 describes the wood as being something between Peperomia and Piper. He says that 

 the axis of Amaranthus contains very numerous fibrovascular bundles, but Achyranthes 

 only 1 or 2. 



Amaranths grow in crowds or singly, either in dry, stony, barren stations, or anion 

 thickets upon the borders of woods, or a few even in salt marshes. They are much 

 more frequent within the tropics than beyond them, and are unknown in the c '^?' 

 regions of the world. Of those known to Martius 53 are found in tropical Asia, 105 in 



Fig. CCCXLIX.— Celosia longifolia. 



of the seed 



1 . a flower ; 2. the stamens ; X the ovules ; 4. a section 



