562 AMAEANTHACE^ — CHENOPODIACE^. 



Order 138. — AMAEANTHACEiE, the Amaranth Family. (Apet. 

 Hypog.) Perianth 3-5-partite, hypogynous, scarious, persistent, usually 

 with two bractlets at the base. Stamens hypogynous, either 5 and 

 opposite the segments of the perianth, or double that number, distinct 

 or united, sometimes partly abortive ; anthers either dithecal or mono- 

 thecal. Ovary superior,' single, 1 -celled ; ovules solitary or several, 

 amphitropal, hanging from a free central funiculus ; style 1, or ; 

 stigma simple or compound. Fruit a utricle or a caryopsis, rarely 

 baccate. Seeds lentiform, pendulous ; testa crustaceous ; embryo peri- 

 pherical ; albumen farinaceous ; radicle next the hilum. — Herbs and 

 shrubs, with simple, opposite, or alternate exstipulate leaves ; flowers 

 in heads or spikes, usually hermaphrodite. They are natives of tropi- 

 cal and temperate regions. There are 45 known genera and '400 

 species. Examples — Amaranthus, Achyranthes, Celosia, Deeringia, 

 Gomphrena. 



The plants are principally mucilaginous and demulcent. Many of 

 them are known in cultivation, such as Amaranthus hypochondriacus, 

 Prince's-feather ; A. caudatus, Love-lies-bleeding ; Celosia cristata, 

 Cockscomb ; Gomphrena glohosa, Globe-amaranth. Amaranthus Blitum, 

 A. oleraceus, Chusan Han-tsi, and other species, are used as pot-herbs. 

 In the Cockscomb the flowers form at the apex a peculiar crest of 

 flattened or fasciated peduncles (fig. 251, p. 174). 



Order 139. — Chenopodiacb^, the Goosefoot Family. (Apet. 

 Perigyn. and Hypogyn) Perianth deeply divided, sometimes tubular 

 at the base, persistent, without bracts ; aestivation imbricate. Stamens 

 inserted into the base of the perianth or hypogynous, opposite to its 

 segments, and equal to them in number, or fewer (fig. 643, p. 367). 

 Ovary single, superior, or sometimes cohering to the tube of the peri- 

 anth, 1-celled ; ovule solitary, attached to the base of the cell ; style 

 2-4-parted ; stigmas simple. Fruit membranous, indehiscent, enclosed 

 in the calyx, sometimes fleshy. Seed erect or resupinate ; embryo 

 curved around farinaceous albumen, often like a horse-shoe, or spiral or 

 doubled together without albumen ; radicle next the hilum. — Herbs 

 or undershrubs, with alternate, sometimes opposite, exstipulate leaves, 

 and hermaphrodite or unisexual flowers. They are found in almost 

 all parts of the world, but do not abound in the tropics. Most of the 

 plants are inconspicuous weeds. There are 70 known genera and 450 

 species. Examples — Chenopodium, Salicornia, Salsola, Atriplex, Beta, 

 Basella. 



Many of the plants of this order are used as esculent pot-herbs, 

 such as Spinacia oleraeea, Spinage, Beta vulgaris, Beet, and var. cam- 

 pestris, Field Beet or Mangold Wurzel, Atriplex hortensis, Garden 

 Orach, Chenopodium Bonus Hen/ricus, English Mercury. The seeds of 

 the last are used in the manufacture of shagreen. The seeds of Cheno- 

 podium Quinoa are used as food in Peru, under the name of petty rice. 



