AMAKANTHACEAE. Ill 



FAMILY 2. AMARANTHACEAE. AMARANTH FAMILY. 



Herbs, shrubs, or trees. Leaves alternate or opposite, exstipulate: 

 blades entire or nearly so. Flowers perfect, polygamous, or dioecious, in 

 spikes or panicles, with scarious or colored bracts. Calyx of 2-5 mostly 

 distinct sepals. Corolla wanting. Androecium of 5, or fewer, distinct or 

 monodelphous stamens. Gynoecium of 2 or more united carpels. Ovary 

 1-celled. Fruit a utricle or pyxidium, or rarely baccate. 



1. AMARANTHUS [Tourn.] L. Herbs (ours annuals). Leaves alter- 

 nate: blades entire. Flowers polygamous, monoecious, or dioecious, densely 

 spicate or clustered, each subtended by mostly 3 bracts. Sepals 2-5. Fila- 

 ments distinct. Stigmas 2 or 3, distinct. Ovule solitary. Utricle circum- 

 scissile, irregularly opening or indehiscent. Sum. and fall. AMARANTH. 

 PIGWEED. 



Flowers, at least the upper ones, in dense terminal spikes. 

 Stems unarmed, without spines at the leaf-axils. 



Spikes strict : sepals mostly obtuse. 1. A. retroflexus. 



Spikes drooping : sepals mostly acute. 2. A. hybridus. 



Stems furnished with a pair of spines at each leaf-axil. 3. A. spinosus. 



Flowers in small axillary clusters usually surpassed by the leaves. 4. A. graecizans. 



1. A. retroflexus L. Stems 3-30 dm. tall: leaf -blades ovate to ovate-lanceo- 

 late or lanceolate above, 5-15 cm. long: staminate calyx 3.4-3.6 mm. long: pis- 

 tillate calyx 3.5-4 mm. long ; sepals linear-oblong to linear-cuneate. Common, 

 in cultivated grounds and waste places. Nat. of trop. Am. Fall. GREEN- 

 AMARANTH. 



2. A. hybridus L. Stems 5-25 dm. tall, not spiny: leaf -blades ovate to ovate- 

 lanceolate or elliptic, 3-12 cm. long: staminate calyx 1.7-1.9 mm. long: pis- 

 tillate calyx 1.7-2 mm. long ; sepals narrowly oblong to oblong-lanceolate. 

 Common, in cultivated grounds and waste places. Nat. of trop. Am. Sum. 

 and fall. 



3. A. spinosus L. Stems 2-12 dm. tall, spiny: leaf -blades ovate or rhombic- 

 ovate, or lanceolate, the upper 1.5-8 cm. long: staminate calyx 2-2.7 mm. long: 

 pistillate calyx 2-2.5 mm. long; sepals broadened upward, abruptly pointed. 

 Frequent, in waste places on. roadsides and in fields. Nat. of trop. Am. Sum. 

 THORNY-AMARANTH. 



4. A. graecizans L. Stems 1-6 dm. tall: leaf -blades spatulate, obovate, or 

 oblong, 1-3 cm. long: staminate calyx 1.4-1.6 mm. long: pistillate calyx 

 1.8-2.2 mm. long; sepals lanceolate, long-acuminate. Common, in cultivated 

 grounds and fields. Nat. of trop. Am. Sum. TUMBLE-WEED. 



FAMILY 3. CORRIG-IOLACEAE. WHITLOW-WORT FAMILY. 



Herbs, but often firm or woody at the base. Leaves opposite, stipu- 

 late: blades entire. Flowers perfect, cymose. Calyx of 4 or 5 sepals, 

 which are sometimes awned or cuspidate at the apex. Corolla wanting. 

 Androecium of 4 or 5 stamens borne on the margin of the minute or long 

 hypanthium. Gynoecium mostly 2-carpellary. Ovary 1-celled. Fruit a 

 utricle or an achene. Seed solitary. 



1. ANYCHIA Michx. Annual herbs, with much-branched stems. Leaves 

 with narrow or rather broad blades. Cymes diffuse. Sepals flattish, mucro- 

 nate. Sum. FORKED-CHICKWEED. 



