436 THE GOOSEPOOT FAMILY. 



Fruiting perianth scarcely enlarged, herbaceous 4. GrOOSEFOOT. 



Perianth of the male flowers 5-cleft and regular. Fruiting perianth 

 (from female flowers) flat, consisting of 2 much enlarged seg- 

 ments 6. Oeache. 



The Spinage of our gardens {Spinacia oleracea), probably from western 

 Asia, forms a genus closely allied to Orache, but with a differently shaped 

 fruiting perianth, and 4 styles. One or two species of Amaranth, belong- 

 ing to the abovementioned Amaranth family, have occasionally appeared 

 amongst garden weeds in the neighbourhood of London, but do not appear 

 to have anywhere established themselves in Britain. The same Amaranth 

 family includes the Love-lies-bleeding and Prince' s-feather (both species of 

 Amaranthus), the glohe Amaranth (a sjjecies of Qomphrena), tlie CocV s-comh 

 {Celosia), etc., of our gardens. 



I. SALIC ORN. SALICORNIA. 



Succulent, jointed herbs, sometimes hard and woody at the base, without 

 leaves. Flowers immersed in the upper articles (or internodcs), forming 

 terminal, succulent, cylindrical spikes, each article having 6 flowers, 3 in a 

 triangle on each side. Perianth succulent, flat, and nearly closed at the 

 top ; the stamens (usually 2 or only 1) protruding tlirough the minutely 3- 

 or 4-toothed orifice. Style included in the perianth, divided into 2 or 3 

 stigmas. Nut enclosed in the unchanged, succulent perianth. Seed ovoid, 

 \^hout albumen. Radicle bent back over the cotyledons. 



A genus of very few species, ranging over the salt-marshes of all parts of 

 the world. 



1. Common Salicom. Salicomia herbacea, Linn. 



(S. annua, Eng. Bot. t. 415, S. radicans^ t. 1691, S. fruticosa, t. 2467, and 



5. procumbens, t. 24-75. Olasswort.) 



In its simplest form this is a glabrous, bright green, succulent, erect 

 amiual, scarcely 6 inches high, with few erect branches, each one terminated 

 by a spike of ^ to 1 ineli long. When luxuriant, after the first flowering, 

 branches shoot out from every joint or node as well as from the spike itself ; 

 the lower ones become hard, and often procumbent, and rooting at the 

 nodes, and the whole plant will extend to a foot or more ; and in favourable 

 situations a few plants wiU outlive the winter, so as to have the appearance 

 of undershrubs, but probably do not last beyond the second year. 



In salt-marshes and muddy sea-shores, throughout Europe and central 

 and Russian Asia, except the extreme north, as well as in many other parts 

 of the world. Abundant on the British coasts. Ft. summer and autvm.n. 



II. SUJEDA. SUiEDA. 



Herbs or undershrubs, with rather small, linear, semi-cyUndrical, succu- 

 lent leaves. Flowers and fruit of Goosefoot, except that the embryo of the 

 seed is coiled into a spire, witli little or no albumen. 



A genus of very few species, ranging over the seacoasts of most parts of 

 the globe, readily distinguished amongst British Chenopodiacets by the foh- 

 age as well as by the seed. 



Stem shrubby at the base. Leaves obtuse. Styles 3 1. Shrubby S. 



Stem annual, much branched, or diffuse. Leaves often acute. 



Styles 2 2. Herbaceous S. 



