CHENOPODIACEAE 



183 



Pollination is often effected by insects in spite of the 

 inconspicuous nature of the flowers. The fruitlets are 

 mostly dispersed by the wind, the persistent perianth being 

 enlarged in various ways. 



Fig. 84 a. Sahola aphylla L. f. The Ganna. Bed of the Dwyka river (Karoo). 



There are over 500 species, especially in the tem- 

 perate zones, several of them of the highest importance to 

 man. Beta vulgaris var. Rapa is cultivated in several 

 forms. One of these is the sugar-beet (annual production 

 of sugar nearly 7 million tons) ; another is the red 

 beetroot and a third the mangold (mangel-wurzel). 

 Spinacia oleracea is the ordinary spinach plant. Of great 

 importance to South Africa as fodder plants are Sahola 

 aphylla, the ganna or brakganna, S. Calluna, the rooi ganna 

 and S. Zeyheri, the bloemlwol-ganna (Carnarvon etc.), and 

 the saltbush, A trip lex Halimus. Recently some Australian 

 saltbushes, viz. A. nummularia, A. semibaccata and 

 A. halimoides, the latter two prostrate, herbaceous plants, 

 have been artificially spread in the country. Some are 

 common weeds, e.g. Chenopodium murale (goosefoot) and 

 A triplex patula (rnelde). 



