Spermatophyta: Dicotyledonae: Archichlamydeae: Caryophyllales

Amaranthaceae - Amaranth or pigweed family

Chenopodiaceae

Brenan, J.P.M. (1988) Chenopodiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(1)

Townsend, C.C. (1988) Amaranthaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(1)

Description of the family

Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes woody at the base or, rarely, small shrubs (Psilotrichum scleranthum). Stipules 0. Leaves simple, alternate or opposite. Inflorescence various, bracteate; bracts hyaline to membranous, straw-coloured to white, subtending one or more flowers. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, mostly actinomorphic with 2 bracteoles, frequently in ultimate small 3-flowered cymes, the lateral flowers often sterile and modified into scales, spines, hooks or hairs. Tepals often green or white or variously coloured, usually 5, arranged in 1 whorl, membranous to firm, finally hardening and often falling with the ripe fruit. Ovary superior, 1-locular. Fruit a capsule, rarely a berry.

Comment: Amaranthaceae is a family which lacks the usual differentiation into sepals and petals, possessing instead 1 whorl of variously coloured tepals and each flower usually subtended by 1 bract and 2 bracteoles.

Worldwide: 71 genera and 750 species, mostly tropical and warm, few temperate.

Zimbabwe: 23 genera and 64 taxa.

Gomphrena celosioides

Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Achyranthes L.Description, Image
Achyropsis (Moq.) Hook. f.Description
Aerva Forssk.Description, Image
Alternanthera Forssk.Description, Image
Amaranthus L.Description, Image
Atriplex L.Description
Celosia L.Description, Image
Centemopsis SchinzDescription, Image
Centrostachys Wall.Description
Chenopodium L.Description, Image
Cyathula BlumeDescription, Image
Dysphania R.Br.Image
Gomphrena L.Description, Image
Guilleminea KunthDescription, Image
Hermbstaedtia Rchb.Description, Image
Kyphocarpa (Fenzl ex Endl.) Lopr.Description, Image
Leucosphaera GilgDescription, Image
Nothosaerva WightDescription, Image
Pandiaka (Moq.) Hook. f.Description
Psilotrichum BlumeDescription, Image
Pupalia A. Juss.Description, Image
Salsola L.Description
Sericorema (Hook. f.) Lopr.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Amaranthaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Amaranthaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Amaranthaceae
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Amaranthaceae
Flora of Malawi: Amaranthaceae
Flora of Malawi: cultivated Amaranthaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Amaranthaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Amaranthaceae
Flora of Zambia: Amaranthaceae
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Amaranthaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Amaranthaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Amaranthaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Amaranthaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Amaranthaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Amaranthaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Amaranthaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Amaranthaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Amaranthaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Amaranthaceae
Wikipedia: Amaranthaceae
Plants of the World Online: Amaranthaceae
Tropicos: Amaranthaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Family page: Amaranthaceae.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=8, retrieved 19 March 2024

Site software last modified: 12 October 2020 3:25pm (GMT +2)
Terms of use