- Reference
- Sp.Pl. 2:205 (1753)
- Name Status
- Current
Scientific Description
Family Amaranthaceae.
Habit and leaf form. Herbs. Annual, or perennial; plants with neither basal nor terminal concentrations of leaves. Self supporting, or climbing (occasionally). Leaves alternate; ‘herbaceous’; simple. Leaf blades entire, or dissected (somewhat lobed); pinnately veined. Leaves without stipules. Leaf blade margins entire. Domatia recorded. Stem anatomy. Nodes unilacunar. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring, or anomalous.
Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite. Unisexual flowers absent. Plants hermaphrodite.
Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in cymes, or in spikes, or in panicles. The terminal inflorescence unit cymose. Flowers bracteate. Bracts persistent. Flowers bracteolate. Bracteoles persistent. Flowers regular; cyclic; tricyclic. Free hypanthium absent. Hypogynous disk absent. Perianth sepaline; 5; non-fleshy; persistent; accrescent, or non-accrescent. Calyx present; 5; polysepalous; imbricate; regular; persistent; accrescent, or non-accrescent. The fruiting calyx not berrylike. Calyx with the median member posterior. Corolla absent. Androecium 5. Androecial sequence not determinable. Androecial members free of the perianth; all equal; coherent; 1 - adelphous (the filaments basally connate forming a short sheath); 1 -whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 5; oppositisepalous. Anthers dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; bilocular. Pollen shed as single grains. Gynoecium 2–3 carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synstylovarious; superior. Ovary unilocular; 1 locular. Gynoecium non-stylate to stylate. Styles 1. Stigmas 2–3; dry type; papillate; Group II type. Placentation basal. Ovules in the single cavity (1–)5–8(–11); non-arillate; campylotropous.
Fruit and seed features. Fruit non-fleshy; dehiscent; a capsule; without fleshy investment. Capsules circumscissile. Seeds roundish; non-endospermic (strictly speaking). Perisperm present (abundant, mealy). Seeds with starch. Embryo well differentiated. Cotyledons 2.