Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae Juss., Gen. Pl. 87. 1789. nom. cons. 'Amaranth Family'
Characteristic Features:
Members are herbs or shrubs or trees showing anomalous secondary growth
Leaves simple (succulent or reduced in some), opposite or spirally arranged
Flowers small with bristle like or pigmented bract and a uniseriate perianth of 3-5 sepals
Stamens basally connate, as many as perianth parts and opposite to perianth lobes
Ovary unilocular, uniovulate with basal placentation
Seeds mostly starchy-perispermous, with curved embryo
Diversity:
World- 178 genera 2,052 species (The Plant List 2013); 165 genera 2,040 species (Christenhusz & Byng 2016); 173 genera 2125 species (Mabberley 2017); 181 genera, 2368 species (CoL 2021)
India - 18 genera 53 species, excluding Chenopodiaceae (Karthikeyan et al. 2009); 41 genera, 130 species (BSI, 2021)
Indian Himalaya- 34 genera, 80 species (Singh et al. 2019)
Uttarakhand - 24 genera 45 species (Uniyal et al. 2007)
General Characters:
Amaranthaceae in POWO 2021 (Plants of the World Online)
Amaranthaceae in Wikipedia
Systematic position in 2-Superkingdom, 7-Kingdom classification of Ruggiero et al. (2015)
Super Kingdom- Eukaryota, Kingdom- Plantae, Subkingdom- Viridiplantae, Infrakingdom- Streptophyta, Superphylum- Embryophyta, Phylum- Tracheophyta, Subphylum- Spermatophytina, Superclass- Angiospermae, Class- Magnoliopsida, Superorder- Caryophyllanae, Order- Caryophyllales
Bentham & Hooker (1862-83)
Class : Dicotyledons
Subclass : Monochlamydeae
Series : Curvembryeae
Engler & Prantl (1887-1915)
Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Embryophyta Siphonogama
Subdivision : Angiospermae
Class : Dicotyledoneae
Subclass : Archichlamydeae
Order : Centrospermae
Hutchinson (1973)
Phylum : Angiospermae
Subphylum : Dicotyledones
Division : Herbaceae
Order : Chenopodiales
Cronquist (1988)
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Caryophyllidae
Order : Caryophyllales
Thorne & Reveal (2007)
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Caryophyllidae
Super Order : Caryophyllanae
Order : Caryophyllales
Takhtajan (2009)
Phylum : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Caryophyllidae
Super Order : Caryophyllanae
Order : Caryophyllales
Reveal (2012)
Class : Equisetopsida
Subclass : Magnoliidae
Super Order : Caryophyllanae
Order : Caryophyllales
Suborder : Chenopodiineae
APG-IV (2016)
Clade : Angiosperms
Clade : Eudicots
Clade : Core Eudicots
Clade : Superasterids
Order : Caryophyllales
Shipunov (2020)
Class : Angiospermae
Subclass : Asteridae
Super Order : Caryophyllanae
Order : Caryophyllales
Suborder : Caryophyllineae
Genera & Species in Pantnagar
To see larger images please click on the names
~~~Wild Flora~~~
Aerva sanguinolenta (L.) Blume
Alternanthera ficoidea (L.) Sm.
Alternanthera paronychioides A.St.-Hil.
Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.
Alternanthera pungens Kunth
Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R.Br. ex DC.
Digera muricata (L.) Mart.
Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants
***Cultivated Flora***
Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) Kuntze.
Vernacular name: Bloodleaf, Calico plant, Purple alternanthera, Brazilian joyweed
Nativity:Mexico to Tropical America (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Erect herb. Leaves simple, green- purple, ovate to lanceolate.
Flowering period:March to May
Propagation Methods: Propagated by cuttings and seeds (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ GS
Beta vulgaris L. subsp. maritima (L.) Thell.
Vernacular name: Spinach beet, Beet leaf (English); Desi palak (Hindi)
Nativity:Northeast Europe, Mediterranean to India (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Erect annual herb. Tap root but not swollen. Leaves narrow toward base, oblong- ovate in shape. Flowers bisexual.
Flowering period: December to February
Propagation Methods: Grown by seeds
Photographed @ Ta Colony
Celosia argentea L. var. cristata (L.) Kuntze.
Vernacular name: Cockscomb (English); Murga-ka-phul, Lalmurga, Morshikha (Hindi)
Nativity: Tropical Africa (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Erect herb. Leaves entire, oblong- linear. Inflorescence terminal branched spike, peduncle thick, flattened, covered with numerous flowers.
Flowering period: May to February
Propagation Methods: Propagated by seeds (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ CVAS
Gomphrena globosa L.
Vernacular name: Common Globe Amaranth, Bachelor's Button, Thousand Day Red (English); Gul-makhmal (Hindi)
Nativity:Mexico to Brazil (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Annual herb. Leaves opposite, oblong to lanceolate. Flowers in terminal and axillary globose heads. purple to red in colour.
Flowering period: July to September
Propagation Methods: Propagated by seeds (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ CT
Spinacia oleracea L.
Vernacular name: Spinach (English); Pahadi palak, Vilayati palak (Hindi)
Nativity:Central Asia to Southwest Siberia (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Annual herb. Basal leaves in rosette form, leaves hastate. Flowers unisexual, in axil of leaves.
Flowering period: December to February
Propagation Methods: Propagated by seeds (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ Ta Colony