MACLOSKIE : AMARANTACE^E. 373 



b2. Monoecious. Perianth none. Stamens 2. 2. Amarantellus. 



A2. Anthers i -celled. Flowers hermaphrodite. Ovule suspended from top of funicle. Perianth- 

 leaves free. Leaves opposite. 

 b. Stigma sessile, capitate. Perianth sessile amid bracteoles, pilose. Staminal tube 5-cleft, 



the antheriferous segments linear-ciliolate. 3. Pfaffia. 



b2. Stigmas 2, subulate, or 2-3 -branched. Perianth silky, its 5 segments free or basi-con- 

 nate. Staminal tube long, 5-lobed, the lobes broad or fringed or trifid. 



4. Goniphrena. 



1. AMARANTUS Linn. 



Annual herbs, with alternate, petiolate, pinnately veined leaves, and 

 diclinous flowers in spikes or axillary glomerules. Sepals 2-5. Stamens 

 2-5, anthers 2-celled. Styles 2-3. Fruit circumscissile or indehiscent. 

 Ovule i, subsessile, erect. 



Species 50, widely distributed. 



i. A. BLITUM Linn. (Euxolus viridis Moq.) 



Stem stout, branching, reddish. Leaves ovate, and various, obtuse to 

 emarginate. Flowers in axillary spikelets, shorter than the petioles, with 

 an erect, long, terminal spike. Sepals 3, lanceolate. Seed lenticular. 



Old World; Brazil; N. Patagon., Rio Negro. 



2. A. CRISTULATUS Speg. 



Subcinereous-green, annual, 10-30 cm. high. Stems rosulate-effuse, 

 numerous, pallid, striatulous. Leaves small, crowded, alternate, their 

 limbs ovate or lanceolate, rather firm, obtuse, mostly complicate and 

 densely wavy-crisped on the margin ; petiole nearly as long. Glomerules 

 all axillary, subglobose densely crowded. Flowers minute, very crowded ; 

 sepals 5, spatulate, obtuse, scarcely mucronulate. Utricles ovate, com- 

 pressed, included, acutish, minutely 3-mucronulate. 



N. Patagon., in dry sandy places between Rio Negro and Rio Colorado. 



3. A. HYBRIDUS Linn. (A. chlorostachys W.) 



Slender, dark-green to purple. Flowers chiefly in linear, terminal spikes. 

 Sepals 5, cuspidate ; bracts twice as long. Seed orbicular. 



(Eurasia and Amer., N. and S.); Bahia Blanca and N. Patagon. "The 

 young plant is eaten like spinach." (J. Ball.) 



