420 



Amaranthaceae : Phytolaccaceae 



stamens 2-5, connate below, the filaments interposed between the staminodes or the staminodes absent, the anthers 1-locular; 

 ovary orbicular; style short or absent, the stigma usually capitellate; ovules solitary, pendulous on an elongate filiform funicle; 



utricles compressed, ovoid to orbicular-obcordate; seeds lenticular, with a smooth, coriaceous testa, the embryo annular. 



About 170 species, mostly in the New World Tropics, several widely dispersed as pantropical weeds. 



lA. Leaves 5-15 mm. wide; perianth-segments narrowly ovate, glabrous, acute, with a prominent rather stout midrib on back. 



1. A.sessilis 

 IB. Leaves 3-6 mm. wide; perianth-segments lanceolate, acuminate, with a weaker midrib on back, usually with few long soft dorsal hairs. 



2. A. nodifiora 



1. Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R. Br. Gomphrena ses- 

 silis L.; Illecebrum sessile (L.) L. Tsuru-nogeito. Pros- 

 trate or decumbent somewhat fleshy densely branched annual; 

 stems and branches terete, the nodes with long white curved 

 hairs, the internodes with two longitudinal rows of hairs while 

 young; leaves spreading, glabrous, lanceolate to oblanceolate, 

 3-7 cm. long, 5-15 mm. wide, obtuse, sparsely crenate-toothed 

 or subentire, gradually narrowed to a short-petioled or sub- 

 sessile base, the midrib rather prominent; glomerules solitary 

 or few, many-flowered, axillary, sessile, globose, the bracts and 

 bracteoles minute; perianth-segments 5, white-scarious, more 

 or less lustrous, smooth, glabrous, 2-2.5 mm. long, narrowly 

 ovate, acute, with a prominent midrib especially toward the 

 top; stamens 2-3, less than half as long as the perianth, the 

 anthers minute, yellow; utricles obtusely margined, slightly 

 shorter than the perianth, obcordate; seeds reddish brown, 



about 1 mm. across, shining. July-Sept. Naturalized in 



the warmer parts of our area. A pantropic weed. 



2. Alternanthera nodiflora R. Br. A. denticulata R. Br. 

 HosoBA-TsuRU-NOGEiTO. Much-brauched prostrate an- 

 nual with long soft slender white hairs on nodes while young; 

 branches terete, often rooting at the nodes, with two longi- 

 tudinal lines of short white crisped hairs on the internodes 

 while very young; leaves broadly linear to linear-lanceolate, 

 soft, 2.5-6 cm. long, 3-6 mm. wide, subobtuse, obsoletely 

 mucronate-toothed or subentire, sessile or short-petioled; 

 glomerules one to few, axillary, densely many-flowered, sessile, 

 about 4 mm. across, the bracts and bracteoles less than half as 

 long as the perianth, white-scarious; perianth 2-2.5 mm. long, 

 the segments lanceolate to broadly so, long-acuminate, sparsely 

 soft white-hairy, the midrib faint on back; utricles gray-brown, 

 obcordate-reniform, remse; seeds brownish yellow, shining, 



about 0.7 nun. across. June-Nov. Naturalized in lowlands 



in the warmer parts. Tropical Asia to Australia and Africa. 



5. PHILOXERUS R. Br. Iso-fusagi Zoku 



Decumbent to erect, glabrous or densely hairy mostly fleshy herbs; leaves opposite, obovate-spathulate, narrowly oblong or 

 linear, entire; inflorescence globose to cylindric, axillary and terminal, white or reddish, sessile or short-peduncled, the bract 

 solitary, papyraceous, the bracteoles 2, keeled; flowers bisexual, short-pedicelled, the perianth dorsally flattened, the segments 5, 

 oblong, obtuse, nerved, chartaceous; stamens 5, the filaments slighdy connate at base, the anthers 1-locular; ovary flattened; 

 style very short, the stigmas 2; ovules solitary, pendulous; utricles indehiscent, the seeds lenticular, smooth, the embryo an- 

 nular. About 15 species, along seashores, e. N. America, w. Africa, Australia, and s. Japan. 



1, Philoxerus wrightii Hook. f. Iso-fusagi. Rather 

 fleshy tufted perennial herb forming dense mats on seashores; 

 stems glabrous, decumbent to ascending, branched below, 2-5 

 cm. long; leaves glabrous, narrowly spathulate-obovate, 4-8 

 mm. long, 2-3 mm. wide, very obtuse, gradually narrowed to 

 the base; inflorescence a terminal very short-peduncled few- 



flowered head; flowers rose-colored, the bracts and bracteoles 

 small, membranous, ovate, about half as long as the perianth; 

 perianth-segments elliptic, 3-3.5 mm. long, obtuse, scarious; 

 seeds dull brown. July-Oct. Rocks along seashores usu- 

 ally where washed by waves; Kyushu (Yakushima); rather 



Fam. 81. PHYTOLACCACEAE Yama-gobo Ka Pokeweed Family 



Herbs, rarely shrubs or trees; leaves alternate, entire, usually without stipules; inflorescence usually racemose; flowers bi- 

 sexual or polygamous, sometimes unisexual, the sepals 4-5, free or connate below, imbricate in bud, the petals absent; stamens 

 as many as or more than and alternate with the sepals; ovary superior, several locular, or composed of several free carpels; 

 styles short or absent, the stigmas linear, filiform or subulate, usually papillose inside; ovules solitary in each carpel, amphitro- 



pous or campylotropous; fruit usually a berry, capsule or samaralike. About 22 genera, with about 120 species, mosdy 



pantropic. 



1. PHYTOLACCA L. Yama-gobo Zoku 



Tall herbs, shrubs, or trees with erect or scandent glabrous or pulverulent branches; leaves alternate, sessile or petiolate, large, 

 entire, exstipulate; racemes terminal, the pedicels bracteate and with 1-3 bracteoles at the base; sepals (4-)5, persistent; stamens 

 5-30, inserted at the base of the sepals; ovary subglobose; carpels 5-15, free or connate; fruit a globose berry; seeds flattened, 

 the embryo annular, the endosperm mealy. About 35 species, in the Tropics and subtropics, especially abundant in America. 



lA. Inflorescence erect in fruit, the peduncles 1-3 cm. long. 



2A. Carpels free, 8; seeds smooth 1- P- esculenta 



2B. Carpels connate, 7-10; seeds with slender concentric striations 2. P. japonica 



IB. Inflorescence nodding in fruit, the peduncles 4-12 cm. long; carpels 10, connate; seeds smooth 3. P. americana 



