110 BOTANY. 
B. Spirolobee. 
Tribe 6. Suadinee. Stem unjointed, with leaves usually fleshy and 
vermicular. Flowers hermaphrodite, all similar. Pericarp free, rarely ad- 
herent. Seed with two integuments, the outer crustaceous. Embryo coiled in 
a flat spiral. Examples: Suaeda, Schangina, &c. 
Tribe 7. Salsolee. Stem jointed or not, with leaves usually cylindrical 
and fleshy. Flowers hermaphrodite, similar. Pericarp thin, scarcely free. 
Tegument of the seed simple and membranous. Embryo im a helicoid or 
conical spiral. Examples: Salsola, Kali, Brachylepis. 
Some prominent American genera are Salsola, Sueda, Salicornia, Cheno- 
podium, &c. The ashes of many species furnish carbonate of soda, espe- 
cially Salsola, Salicornia, and Kochia. ‘The mustard seed of Scripture is 
Salvadora persica. The common beet, Beta vulgaris, indigenous along the 
coast of the Mediterranean, belongs to this family; as also Spinacia ole- 
racea or Spinach, and the Peruvian quinoa, Chenopodium quinoa. The 
American Chenopodiums are known as Lamb’s quarter and Goose- 
foot. | 
Beta vulgaris, common Beet ( pl. 60, 61, fig. 5); d, root with a radical leaf; 
b, a group of flowers ; c, a fruit. 
Orver 77. AMARANTHACE#, the Amaranth Family. Perianth three- to 
five-partite, hypogynous, scarious, persistent, usually with two bractlets at 
the base. Stamens hypogynous, either five and opposite the segments of the 
perianth, or double that number, distinct, or united, sometimes partly 
abortive; anthers either dithecal or monothecal. Ovary superior, single, 
one-celled; ovules solitary or several, amphitropal, hanging from a free 
central funiculus; style one or 0; stigma simple or compound. Fruit a 
utricle or a caryopsis, rarely baccate. Seeds lentiform, pendulous; testa 
crustaceous; embryo peripherical; 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 tropical and temperate regions. There are thirty-eight known 
genera, and 282 species. Examples: Amaranthus, Achyranthes, Celosia, 
Deeringia, Gomphrena. 
The plants of this family are of little economical importance; the leaves 
of some species furnish a great amount of mucilage. Three fourths of all 
the species are tropical, most of them American. Iresine and Amaranthus 
are North American representatives. A. hypochondriacus is a common 
garden flower, known as Prince’s feather. Celosia cristata or Cock’s comb, a 
native of China, is frequently cultivated for purposes of ornament. 
Celosia cristata, Cock’s comb (pl 60, 61. fig 6); c, a flower magnified. . 
OrperR 78. Nycracinacem, the Marvel of Peru Family. Perianth 
tubular, colored, contracted in the middle, becoming indurated at the base ; 
limb entire, or toothed and deciduous; estivation plicate. Stamens defi- 
nite, hypogynous; anthers dithecal. Ovary superior, one-celled; ovule 
solitary, erect; style one; stigma one. Fruit a caryopsis, inclosed within 
110 
