AMARANTH FAMILY 407 



enclosed within the hardened perianth-tube. (Name from the 

 Greek scleros, hard, anthos, a flower, from the hardness of the 

 perianth. ) 



1. S. dnnuus (Annual Knawel). — A small plant, 2 — 8 in. high, 

 with numerous, much-branched, tangled stems ; awl-shaped leaves; 

 green flowers in clusters either in the forks of the stems or terminal ; 

 sepals acute, with a narrow, whitish, membranous margin, spread- 

 ing when in fruit. — Sandy fields ; common. — Fl. June — November. 

 Annual or biennial. 



2. S. perennis (Perennial Knawel). — A prostrate, glaucous 

 plant, becoming reddish, with slightly-branched stem ; sepals 

 blunt, with a broad, white margin. — Sandy fields in the south; 

 very rare. Perennial. 



Sub Class III. INCOMPLETE 



Flowers having a calyx or corolla, or neither; but never both. 

 In this Sub-Class it is often doubtful whether the leaves which 

 enclose the stamens and carpels of a flower should be called a 

 calyx or corolla : the term perianth (from the Greek peri, around, 

 and anthos, a flower) is therefore used to denote these organs, and 

 must be taken to mean all the leaves, whether resembling sepals 

 or petals, which enclose the other parts of the flower. Used in 

 this sense, and applied to the preceding Sub-Classes, the calyx and 

 corolla would be correctly called a double perianth. 



Series I. MONOCHLAMYDEE 



Flowers generally with a perianth of one whorl 



§ Ovary superior 



Ord. LXII. Amaranthace^e. — Amaranth Family 



A considerable Order of weedy plants, mostly tropical, with 

 exstipulate leaves ; membranous flowers a persistent, 3 — 5-partite 

 perianth ; ovary superior, 1 -chambered. — Several members of the 

 Order have brightly coloured perianths which render them garden 

 favourites, such as Amardnthus cauddtus (Love-lies-bleeding), A. 

 hypochondriacus and A. speciosus (Prince of Wales' Feather) and 

 Celbsia cristdta (Cock's-comb). — None of them are indigenous to 

 Great Britain ; but two species of Amaranth occur as casuals. 



*i. Amaranthus (Amaranth). — Flowers monoecious; stamens 

 3 — 5 ; stigmas 3 ; capsules i-chambered, i-seeded. (Name in 

 Greek signifying everlasting flower.) 



