Chenopodiaceae; Amaranthaceae 417 



6. SALSOLA L. Oka-hijiki Zoku 



Herb or shrubs, glabrous or short-pilose; branches not jointed; leaves alternate, rarely opposite, narrow, sessile, sometimes 

 scalelike, usually spine-pointed; flowers small, solitary or in fascicles in leaf-axils, often accrescent in fruit, bisexual, 2-bractcolate; 

 perianth 4- to 5-merous, the segments oblong or lanceolate, concave, often incurved at apex, thickened and becoming horizon- 

 tally winged on back; stamens 5 or fewer, staminodes absent; ovary globose; stigmas 2 (-3), linear; utricles enclosed by the 

 lower portion of perianth, broadly ovoid to globose, depressed at die apex or mucronate, the pericarp not adnate to the seed; 



seeds horizontal, the embryo spiral. About 100 species, mainly in saline soils and along seashores, especially abundant in 



the N. Hemisphere. 



1. Salsola komarovii Iljin. S. soda sensu auct. Japon., transversely ridged on back, inflexed in upper portion; fruit 



non L. Oka-hijiki. Glabrous annual; stems decumbent depressed-obconical, about 2 nun. across; seeds as large as the 



or ascending, spreading, much branched, 10-30 cm. long; fruit, the testa white, membranous, easily separable. July- 

 leaves alternate, green, fleshy, linear-terete, spine-pointed, 1-2.5 Oct. Sandy places along sea beaches; Hokkaido, Honshu, 



cm. long; flowers solitary in axils, sessile, the bracteoles 2, nar- Shikoku, Kyushu. Korea, Manchuria, n. China, and e. Si- 



rowly ovate, 4-5 mm. long; tepals 5, cartilaginous in fruit, beria. 



Fam. 80. AMARANTHACEAE Hiyu Ka Amaranth Family 



Herbs, sometimes shrubs; leaves opposite or alternate, simple, entire or with obsolete teeth, the stipules absent; flowers small, 

 greenish, white, rose, or rarely yellow, bisexual, rarely unisexual, actinomorphic; inflorescence densely cymose, disposed in 

 spikes or panicles; perianth-segments 4-5, free or connate at base, regular, scarious; stamens 1-5, opposite the perianth-segments, 

 more or less connate at base, often with a membranous appendage between them; carpels 2-3, connate; ovary superior, 1-locular; 

 ovules 1 to many, campylotropous, erect; fruit a circumscissile capsule, or frequently a utricle, rarely a drupe or berry; seeds 



lenticular, the testa shining; endosperm mealy, the embryo annular. About 64 genera, with about 800 species, especially 



abundant in the Tropics. 



lA. Leaves alternate; anthers 2-locular. 



2A. Flowers unisexual or polygamous; ovules solitary 1. Amaranthus 



2B. Flowers bisexual; ovules 2 to many 2. Celosia 



IB. Leaves opposite. 



3A. Anthers 2-locu!ar; flowers in elongate spikes, deflexed in fruit Z. A. caudatus 



3B. Anthers 1-locular; flowers in heads, not deflexed in fruit. 



4A. Stigma sessile, usually capitellate, entire or nearly so 4. Alternanthera 



4B. Stigmas 2, subulate, on a very short style 5. Philoxerus 



1. AMARANTHUS L. Hiyu Zoku 



Erect or decumbent, often slightly pubescent, monoecious or polygamous annuals; leaves alternate, flat, petiolate, ovate, 

 lanceolate or rhombic, uually entire; flowers small, in axillary glomerules, forming a terminal spike or panicle, green, some- 

 times white or reddish, the bracts often spine-tipped, sometimes minute, the bracteoles 2; periantii-segments 5, sometimes 3, 

 membranous, persistent; stamens 1-3 or -5, free; ovary ovoid; style very short, the stigmas 2-3; ovules solitary, erect; utricle 

 indehiscent or circumscissile; seeds erect, orbicular, flat, shining, smooth, the embryo annular. About 50 species, cosmo- 

 politan. 



lA. Utricles transversely or imperfectly dehiscent; bracts usually prominent. 

 2 A. Perianth-segments and stamens 5; spikes elongate; tall herbs with rather stout thickened stems. 

 3A. Leaf-axils without spines; utricles transversely dehiscent. 



4A. Spikes erect or ascending, greenish; bracts with an acute green spine at apex; perianth-segments broadly spathulate; seeds 

 black. 

 5A. Bracts 4-6 mm. long inclusive of the longer spine; perianth 3 mm. long, about half as long as the bract; spikes thicker, 



pale green \. A. retroflexus 



5B. Bracts 2—4 mm. long; perianth 1.5-2 mm. long, about Yi as long as the bract; spikes narrower, green 2. A. patulus 



4B. Spikes narrow, pendulous above, reddish or white; bracts with a slender pale rather short spine at apex; perianth-segments ob- 



ovate; seeds usually white, reddish tinged toward the margin Z. A, caudatiis 



3B. l.eaf-axils with spines; utricles imperfectly dehiscent 4. A. spinosus 



2B. Perianth -segments 3; stamens 2-3; spikes usually not elongate. 

 6A. Stems 80-150 cm. long, stout; leaves 5-20 cm. long. 



7A. Spikes not elongate; leaves linear to rhombic-ovate 5. A. tricolor 



7B. Spikes elongate in the terminal ones; leaves broadly ovate-deltoid 6, A. mangoslanus 



6B. Stems 10-60 cm. long, rather slender, much-branched; leaves 1—4 cm. long. 



8A. Stems and branches decumbent; bracts narrowly ovate, green; utricles smooth 1. A. graecizans 



8B. Stems and branches erect; bracts spine-tipped; utricles rugose 8. A. albut 



IB. Utricles indehiscent; bracts not prominent, shorter than the perianth. 



9A. Utricles prominently rugose 9. A. viridis 



9B. Utricles smooth. 



lOA. Leaves 2.5-4 cm. wide; stems erect, with ascending base 10. A. lividut 



lOB. Leaves l-1.5(-2) cm. wide; stems ascending to decumbent 11. A. deflcxus 



