.720 cxvi. AMABANTACEiE. (J. D. Hooker.) [Amarantus. 



A. polygamus, Soxb. I. c. ; Wall. Cat. 6899, eaicl, D, and Wtffht Ic. 714, not 

 of Linn. A. liYidus, Roxh. I. c. ; Wall. Cat. 6896 C. A. amboinicuB, fiisrj. 

 Sam. in Wall. Cat. 6897. A. inamoenus, Willd. Amarant. t. 7, f. 14. 

 A. melanoholicua, Linn. 8p. PI. 989 ; Soxb. I. c. 608. 



Throughout India and Cetlon, cultivated and in cultivated ground. — Distbib. 

 Tropical Asia, Africa, and America. 



An erect, stout, handsome species, 2-3 ft., leafy, green, pink, rufous, liver-coloured 

 or bright red. Leaves 3-5 in., very variable, from linear-lanceolate to rounded oval and 

 3 in. diam., or deltoid ovate ; tip rounded or long and slender but always obtuse and 

 often notched, base elongate cuneate ; petiole equalling the blade. Clusters squar- 

 rose, bracts ^ in. long. Seeds lenticular, pitoh-black, j'j in. diam. j border acute. — 

 This is Roxburgh's A. tristis, and possibly that of Linnseus, but the latter describes 

 the leaves as ovate-cordate, which these are not. Roxburgh says that his gangeticua 

 and oleraceus differ from his polygamus and tristis and their varieties in not admit- 

 ting of being cut for successive crops, but being hence unrooted for market. I have 

 not cited Boissier, who says his A. gangeticus is always pentamerous. Of A. melan- 

 cTiolicus Roxburgh says that it differs from tricolor in being 6-12 ft. high, ramous, 

 pyramidal, with more remote broader rarely more than 2-coloured (dull livid purple 

 and bright crimson) leaves, whereas tricolor in the same soil is 3-4 ft. with simple 

 erect stem, many numerously variegated leaves, and long axillary clusters of flowers. 

 A. inamoenus. Wall. Cat. 6905 C, is a curious small state, 6 in. high, erect, strict, 

 with rhomboid leaves and long spikes ; it is the A. tristis. Herb. Rottler and Heyne. 



5. A. mangrostanus, Linn. Amcen. Acad. iv. 294 ; branches diffaae, 

 leaves small long-petioled ovate elliptic or deltoid-ovate obtuse emarginate, 

 clusters green all axillary, bracts awned, sepals lanceolate awned longer than 

 the utricle. Moq. in DC. Pi-odr. xiii. 2, 261 ; Willd. Amarant. t. 12, f. 23. 

 A. polygamus, Thwaites Enum. 247. A. tristis, Wall. Gat. 6905 B. 



Throughout India and Cetlon in cultivated ground. 



This, as Thwaites observes, is extremely near and perhaps a form oiA. gangeticus, 

 at smaller size and procumbent habit; he refers it to Roxburgh's A. polygamus, 

 but I think that the want of a terminal spike is against this. A specimen from 

 Roxburgh, marked A. mangostanus, precisely accords with Willdenou's figure. To 

 me it looks like a starved or stunted form of gangeticus ; the perianth and seeds are 

 the same in both. It is A. mucronatus, Hort. Petrop. 



6. A. Caturus, Heyne in Wall. Cat. 6900 ; tall, glabrous, leaves long- 

 petioled elliptic-lanceolate acuminate thin, nerves very slender, clusters 

 small globose soft green in very long and very slender axillary simple and 

 terminal panicled spikes, the upper confluent, bracts equalling or longer 

 than the lanceolate aristate sepals, ovary elongate. 



Peocan Peninsttla, Meyne. 



Stem 2-3 ft., very slender. Leaves 6 by 2 in., decurrent on the equally long 

 slender petiole, tip apiculate. Spikes 6-10 in. long. Clusters i-| in. diam., the 

 lower axillary j the lowest on the rachis remote. Flowers ^^ in. long ; sepals transparent 

 with a green rib and short awn. Stamens 3, anthers linear. Young utricle with a 

 rather longer neck and 3 slender styles. — I know of no species at aU like this ; none 

 has such slender spikes. 



*** Bracts usually shorter than the 2 or S sepals and utricle. Stamens 

 2 or 3. Utricle indehiscent or circumsciss. 



7. A. viridis, Linn. Sp. PI. 1405 ; erect, glabrous, leaves long-petioled 

 ovate, tip rounded or notched, base truncate or cuneate, clusters very small 

 green in axillary and terminal panicled slender spikes, sepals 3, utricle 

 rugose acute indehiscent. Soxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 605 ; Qrah. Cat. Bomb. PI. 169. 

 A. polystachyus, Ham. in Wall. Cat. 6901. A. fasoiatus, Soxb. I. c. 609 ; 



