Amaranthaceae
Amaranthus

Amaranthus deflexus L.

First published in Mant. Pl. 2: 295 (1771)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Bolivia to S. South America. It is an annual or perennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Amaranthaceae, C. C. Townsend. Flora Zambesiaca 9:1. 1988

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb, prostrate to somewhat ascending, (8) 12–45 (80) cm.
Morphology Stem
Stems several, slender to rather stout, usually much-branched from the base upwards, more or less angular, green to reddish, glabrous below but usually increasingly furnished from well below the middle upwards with yellowish, flexuose or crisped multicellular hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves moderately to more or less densely furnished on the margins and inferior surface (especially of the principal veins) with similar multicellular hairs, long-petiolate (petioles 6–25 mm. long, but rarely, if ever, exceeding the lamina), lamina c. 1–4.5 × 0.5–2.5 cm, broadly ovate to lanceolate (most commonly rhomboid-ovate), subtruncate to shortly cuneate at the base, subacute to obtuse and sometimes shallowly retuse at the mucronulate apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers green, in slender and lax to stout and dense terminal and axillary spikes c. 2–10 cm long and 5–12 (20) mm. wide, the terminal spike not rarely with rather short, stout branches and the lowest inflorescences dense, subglobose clusters to c. 1 cm in diam.; male and female flowers intermixed, the males generally rather few.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts and bracteoles deltoid-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, pale-membranous with a shortly excurrent greenish midrib, bracteoles usually about half the length of the perianth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth segments 2–3, 1.5–2 mm., linear- to oblong-spathulate, obtuse to subacute, male and female similar or the male shorter and somewhat more acute, pale-membranous with the thin to thick green midrib excurrent in a short, paler mucro.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 2–3, pale, slender, flexuose, c. 0.4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule ellipsoid, sometimes constricted above, 1.75 v 3 mm., obviously exceeding the perianth, scarcely compressed, smooth, indehiscent or irregularly rupturing at maturity.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds compressed-ellipsoid, c. 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm. in diam., black, shining and almost smooth, with a duller, slightly rugose border.
[FZ]

Amaranthaceae, C.C. Townsend. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1985

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb, prostrate to somewhat ascending, (8–)12–45(–80) cm.
Morphology Stem
Stem slender to rather stout, usually much branched from the base upwards, ± angular, green or reddish, glabrous below but usually increasingly furnished from well below the middle upwards with yellowish flexuous or crisped multicellular hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves moderately to ± densely furnished on the margins and lower surface (especially of the principal veins) with similar multicellular hairs, long-petiolate (petioles ± 6–25 mm. but rarely if ever exceeding the lamina); lamina broadly ovate to lanceolate (most commonly rhombic-ovate), ± 1–4.5 × 0.5–2.5 cm., subtruncate to shortly cuneate at the base, subacute to obtuse and sometimes shallowly retuse at the mucronulate apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers green, in slender and lax to stout and dense terminal and axillary spikes ± 2–10 cm. long and 5–12 mm. wide, the terminal spike not rarely with rather short stout branches and the lowest inflorescences dense subglobose clusters to ± 1 cm. in diameter; ♂ and ♀ flowers intermixed, the ♂ generally rather few.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts and bracteoles deltoid-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, pale and membranous with a shortly percurrent greenish midrib, bracteoles usually about half the length of the perianth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth-segments 2–3, linear- to oblong-spathulate, 1.5–2 mm., obtuse to subacute, ♂ and ♀ similar or ♂ slightly more acute, pale and membranous with the thin to thick green midrib excurrent in a short paler mucro.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 2–3, pale, slender, flexuous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule ellipsoid, sometimes constricted above, 1.75–3 mm., obviously exceeding the perianth, scarcely compressed, smooth, indehiscent or irregularly rupturing at maturity; Seeds compressed-ellipsoid, ± 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm., black, shining and almost smooth, with a duller slightly roughened border.
Figures
Fig. 4/1.
Habitat
Cultivated and waste ground; 1640–1940 m.
Distribution
K3 K4 a native of temperate S. America widely naturalised in the Mediterranean region (Europe, N. Africa, Turkey), as well as in Macaronesia, Polynesia, N. America, etc.
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images