Amaranthaceae

Family: Amaranthacaeae

Taxonomic position of the family (according to Cronquist)

Kingdom                     :Plantae

Division                       :Magnoliophyta

Class                            :Magnoliopsida

Order                           :Caryophyllalase

Family                         : Amaranthaceae

Identifying characters of the family

• Generally herb
• Inflorescence is spike
• Flowers are small having bract or bracteole
• Perianth is membranous and shiny
• Fruits are generally nutlet
• Seed color is black and shiny

Botanical Description of the Family

Habit: Many of them are generally annual herb.

Root: Tap root, soft.

Stem: Soft, angular or cylindrical, spinous or glabrous.

Leaf: Simple, margin entire, alternate, petiolate, reticulated venation.

Inflorescence: Simple or compound spike.

Flower: Bisexual, small, actinomorphic, pentamerous.

Perianth: Tepal 5, persistent, aestivation imbricate.

Androecium: Stamen 5.

Gynoecium: Carpel 2-3, syncarpous, ovary superior, placentation basal.

Fruit: Nutlet, sometime berry.

Table 1.  Economically important plant of this family

Economic importance

Amaranths are cultivated as leafy vegetable or ornamental plants throughout the world.

Table 2. Amaranthus varieties developed by HRC, BARI

Indian Spinach

Scientific name: Basella alba

Table 3. Indian spinach varieties developed by HRC, BARI