AMARANTH FAMILY, 

 i. AMARANTHUS L. Sp. PI. 989. 



587 



753- 



Annual branched erect or diffusely spreading glabrous or pubescent herbs, most of the 

 species weeds, with alternate, petioled pinnately veined entire, uadulate or crisped leave* 

 and small monoecious polygamous or dioecious green or purplish mostly 3-bracteolate 

 flowers in dense terminal spikes or axillary clusters. Calyx of 2-5 distinct sepals. Stamens 

 2-5; anthers 2-celled, longitudinally dehiscent. Styles or stigmas 2 or 3. Fruit an o\ . 

 oblong utricle, circumscissile, bursting irregularly or indehisceut, 2-3 beaked by the persis- 

 tent styles. Embryo annular. [Greek, unfading flower, from the dry, unwithering bracts.] 



About 50 species of wide geographic distribution. Ik-sides the following s,,tn occur 



in the southern and western United States. 

 Utricle circumscissile, the top falling away as a lid. 

 Flowers, at least the upper, in dense terminal . 

 Axils not spine-bearing. 



Spikes stout, 4"-?" thick. 



Spikes slender, 2 -3" thick. 2. ,.\. h\t 



A pair of stout spines in each axil. 

 Flowers all in small axillary clusters, mostly shorter than the h 



Plant prostrate; sepals 4 or 5. 4. A. blilaidff. 



Plant erect, bushy-branched; sepals 3. 5. A, grac. 



Utricle indehiscent, membranous, coriaceous or fleshy. 



Upper flowers in terminal, more or less elongated spikes. 



Sepals 5, clawed; flowers dioecious; southwestern species. 



Bracts cuspidate-tipped, short. 6. A. To> > 



Bracts subulate, long and sharp. -. ./. /',/.'> 



Sepals 2 or 3, oblong or spatulate; flowers monoecious or polygamous; in waste places. 

 Utricle smooth, dry, scarious. 8. A. liridus. 



Utricle fleshy, ;j-5-nerved. 9. A. deji, 



Flowers all in small axillary clusters shorter than the leaves. 



Plant not fleshy; stem prostrate; leaves crisped. 10. A. crispus. 



Sea-coast fleshy plant; stem short, erect; leaves not crisped. II. A. pnniilns. 



i. Amaranthus retroflexus L/. 



Amaranlhus retroflexus L. Sp. PI. 991. 1753. 



Roughish-puberulent, rather light green, stem 

 stout, erect or ascending, commonly branched, i- 

 10 tall. Leaves ovate, rhombic-ovate or the upper 

 lanceolate, slender-petioled, acute or acuminate at 

 the apex, narrowed or cuneate at the base, the 

 larger 3 '-6' long, their margins undulate or entire; 

 flowers green, densely aggregated in terminal and 

 axillary spikes, which are sessile, stout, obtuse 

 or subacute, ovoid-cylindric, erect or ascending, 

 Y^'-iy*' long, 4 X/ -7 X/ thick; bracts subulate, twice 

 as long as the 5 scarious narrowly oblong or slightly 

 spatulate mucronate-tipped and often emarginate 

 sepals; stamens 5; utricle slightly wrinkled, thin, 

 circumscissile, rather shorter than the sepals. 



A weed, in cultivated and waste soil, throughout 

 North America except the extreme north. Also in Eu- 

 rope. Naturalized from tropical America. Aug.-Oct. 



Rough Pigweed. (Fig. 1398.) 



2. Amaranthus hybridus L. Slender 

 Pigweed. (Fig. 1399.) 



Amaranlhus hybridus L. Sp. PI. 990. 17 

 Amaranlhus hypochondriacus L. Sp. PI. 991. i~53- 

 A. chlorostachys Willd. Amaranth. 34. f>l. 10. /. 19. 1790. 

 Amaranlus chlorostachys var. hybridus S. Wats 



Gray, Man. Ed. 6, 428. 1890. 



Similar to the preceding species but darker green, 

 or purple, pubescent or nearly glabrous; stem usually 

 slender, erect, usually branched, 2-8 tall. Leave* 

 bright green on both sides or paler beneath, usually 

 smaller, slender-petioled; spikes linear<ylindric, axil- 

 lary and forming dense terminal panicles, ascending, 

 somewhat spreading or drooping; bracts subulate, 

 twice as long as the 5 oblong acute or cuspidate sepals; 

 stamens 5; utricle scarcely wrinkled, circumscissile. 



A weed, in waste grounds, range of the preceding spe- 

 cies. Naturalized from tropical America. Aug.-Oct. 



