the extreme surface of the styles : in some genera the style 

 is single, with 2 — 3 lanceolate or subulate, compressed or 

 half-cylindric stigmas : fruit 1 -seeded, involved by the calyx, 

 indehiscent : pericarp membranaceous, articular, sometimes 

 a caryopsis, very rarely a berry : seed horizontal or vertical, 

 erect or inverted, lenticular or reniform : albumen copious, 

 sparing or none, mealy, very rarely somewhat fleshy : embryo 

 homotropal, curved or annular, peripherical, flat-spiral, or 

 conical-spiral without albumen : cotyledons plano-convex, 

 narrow. — ^Herbs or undershrubs, glabrous, pubescent or 

 woolly : stems terete or angular, erect or ascending, con- 

 tinuous and leafy or jointed and leafless : leaves alternate, 

 seldom opposite, simple, sessile or petioled, either membrana- 

 ceous, dilated, quite entire, toothed, sinuate or cut, veined, 

 or fleshy, succulent, semiterete or cylindric and almost vein- 

 less : stipules none : flowers very minute, regular, her- 

 maphrodite, sessile or pedicelled, solitary or glomerulate, 

 axillary, or panicled, spiked or subcymose : bracts or brac- 

 teoles 2, seldom contiguous, sometimes none, often keeled, 

 concave, usually leafy, seldom deciduous with the fruit. 



aENUS I. CHENOPODITJM. 

 Pentandrfa Digynia. Sean St/sti 



Beriv. Prom Ohen, a goose, and Pous, a foot, in allusion to a 

 fancied resemblance in the leaves. 



G-EN. Chae. Flowers hermaphrodite, ebracteate : calyx 5-cleft 

 or parted, sometimes by abortion 4 — 3-parted, segments concave, 

 often keeled lengthways, never appendiculate : stamens 5, rarely 

 less, inserted at the bottom of the calyx : anthers ovate : filaments 

 filiform : ovary depressed and globose : styles 2, rarely 3, con- 

 nected below, sometimes free : stigmas, the internal surface of 

 the styles : utricle depressed, wrapped in the closed calyx : peri- 

 carp distinct, membranaceous, very thin : seed horizontal, lenti- 

 cular.— Herbs, very seldom undershrubs, sprinkled with mealy 

 dust : leaves alternate, quite entire, dentate or pinnatifld-sinuate : 

 flowers in axillary or terminal spikes : glomerules rarely axillary" 

 not spiked. ' 



