Thanks Sing ji for a nice introduction. After reading your information I would have loved the name of the week as
Amaranthaceae and Chenopodiaceae Week rather than Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae Week. Anyway Nice start of the week indeed. Dr Satish Phadke On Sun, Feb 3, 2013 at 6:16 PM, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]> wrote: > *Dear friends* > > *The families Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae have traditionally been > treated as distinct families, but have been merged under a single family > Amaranthaceae in recent editions of APG classifiation, our reason for > considering in single episode. I am providing information concerning both > separately.* > > * > * > > *Chenopodiaceae *Ventenat *Goosefoot family* > > 97 genera, 1,305 species > > Widely distributed in temperate and tropical climates but common in arid > and semiarid saline habitats, with around 97 genera and 1300 speces > > > > *Major genera: **Atriplex *(300 species), *Salsola, *(120), *Chemnopodium > *(105), *Suaeda *(100) and *Salicornia *(35). > > > > *Descriptiomn*: Herbs or small shrubs, rarely small trees (*Haloxylon*), > usually in saline habitats, sometimes succulent (*Salicornia*), often > covered with whitish bloom, nodes unilacunar, vascular bundles in > concentric rings, included phloem usually present, sieve-tube plastids > PIII-C type, containing betalains instead of anthocyanins, cuticle waxes > with platelets. Leaves minute to large, alternate, rarely opposite (* > Salicornia*, *Nitrophila*), petiolate to sessile, simple, entire or > variously lobed, sometimes fleshy or reduced to scales, stipules absent. > *Inflorescence > *cymose, spikes or panicles, sometimes catkins. *Flowers *small, > greenish, bisexual, rarely unisexual and plants dioecious (*Grayia*) or > monoecious, actinomorphic, hypogynous. *Perianth *(represented by sepals > petals absent) with 2-5 united tepals, rarely free (*Salsola*), > herbaceous, usually persistent and accrescent in fruit, and appendaged with > tubercles, spines or wings, sometimes absent. *Androecium *with 5 > stamens, rarely 3, opposite the perianth lobes, filaments free, anthers > inflexed in bud, bithecous, dehiscence longitudinal, pollen grains > multiporate, spinulose. *Gynoecium *with 2 carpels, united, rarely > carpels upto 5, ovary superior, unilocular, ovule 1, placentation basal, > styles 2 > > (rarely upto 5). *Fruit *a nut or utricle (when enclosed in membranous > perianth); seed lens shaped with curved or spiral embryo, > > endosperm absent, perisperm present. > > > > *Economic importance: *The family includes a few food plants such as beet > (*Beta vulgaris*: used as leafy vegetable {often confused with spinach}; > root vegetable mainly for salad and a source of sugar), spinach (*Spinacea > oleracea*) and lambs quarters (*Chenopodium album; *bathoo in Hindi). > *Chenopodium > ambrosioides *is source of wormseed used as a vermifuge. Seeds and leaves > of *C. quinoa *are eaten by Peruvians and Andes > > > > > > > > > > *Amaranthaceae *M. Adanson *Amaranth family* > > 72 genera, 1,020 species > > Cosmopolitan, mainly tropical, centred in Africa and America with about 72 > genera and 1020 species > > > > *Salient features: *Herbs or small shrubs, stipules absent, flowers small > often greenish, subtended by scarious or papery bracts, > > perianth papery, stamens opposite perianth lobes, slightly connate at > base, staminodes present, carpels 2-3, ovary superior, fruit a > > capsule or utricle or nutlet, enclosed in persistent perianth, embryo > curved. > > > > *Major genera: **Gomphrena *(120 species), *Alternanthera *(100), *Iresine > *(80), *Amaranthus *(60) and *Celosia *(55). > > > > *Description*: Herbs or small shrubs, very rarely climbing, often with > swollen nodes, nodes unilacunar, vascular bundles in concentric rings, > included phloem usually present, sieve-tube plastids PIII-A type, > containing betalains instead of anthocyanins. > > *Leaves *alternate or opposite, herbaceous, sometimes aggregated at base ( > *Ptilotus*), petiolate to sessile, simple, entire, stipules absent. > *Inflorescence > *cymose, spikes or panicles, with conspicuous persistent bracts and > bracteoles. *Flowers *small, greenish, bisexual (rarely unisexual), > actinomorphic, hypogynous, cyclic. *Perianth *(represented by sepals > petals absent) with 3-5 free or united tepals, usually persistent, > sometimes accrescent (*Ptilotus*) in fruit, usually dry and scarious. > *Androecium > *with 5 stamens, > > rarely 3 or even 6-10, opposite the tepals, filaments slightly connate at > base, often adnate to tepals, anthers inflexed in bud, > > bithecous (*Amaranthus*) or monothecous (*Gomphrena*), dehiscence > longitudinal, pollen grains multiporate, spinulose, staminodes > > often present, usually 1-3. *Gynoecium *with 2-3 united carpels, ovary > superior, unilocular, ovule usually 1, placentation basal, > > rarely many (*Celosia*), styles 1-3. *Fruit *a circumscissile capsule, or > nut or utricle (when enclosed in membranous perianth); > > seed lens shaped with curved or spiral embryo, endosperm absent, perisperm > present. > > > > *Economic importance: *The family includes several ornamentals such as > *Celosia > *(Cockscomb), *Amaranthus *(amaranth), > > *Gomphrena *(globe amaranth) and *Iresine *(bloodleaf). Species of > *Alternanthera > *and *Tilanthera *are grown as edge plants and have > > ornamental leaves. Seeds and leaves of several species of *Amaranthus *are > edible, as are also the leaves of *Alternanthera sessilis*. > > > > 163 genera are recognized by The Plant List which treats them together > under one family: > > > http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Amaranthaceae/ > > -- > Dr. Gurcharan Singh > Retired Associate Professor > SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 > Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. > Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 > http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ > http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ > > -- > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "efloraofindia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. 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