AMARANTHACEAE (AMARANTHUS OR COLITES FAMILY

Herbs, sometimes climbing, rarely shrubby. Leaves opposite or alternate,

exstipulate. Flowers in axillary clusters or in simple or panicled spikes, racemes,
or head, the bracts and 2 bracteoles scarious. Sepals 5, sometimes 1 to 3, rigid
or scarious, persistent, imbricate in bud. Petals none. Stamens 1 to 5, opposite
the sepals, free or connate below, often with intervening membranaceous
staminods, all united into a cup; anthers 1- or 2-celled. Ovary 1-celled; styles 1 to
3; ovules 1 or more, basal. Fruit a utricle, rarely a berry or capsular, indehiscent
or circumsciss. Seed orbicular ovate, usually compressed. (Got this from flora of
manila)
Genera 4 , 7 species identified, encompassing all campus of UPVTC.
Leaves alternate
-------------------------------------------------------------------Amaranthus
Leaves opposite--------------------------------------------------------------------2
2. Leaves are deep green blotched with cream along the
midrib
------------------------------------------------------------------Graptophyllum
2. Leaves are green blotched with yellow, orange, red brown,
copper or purple, sometimes with red
veining----------------------------------------------------------------Alternanthera
2. Leaves are purple-red leaves with notched tip
and light red veins ------------------------------------------------Iresine

1. Amaranthus
Habit is terrestrial. The leaves are simple (i.e, lobed or unlobed but not
separated into leaflets). The leaf arrangement is alternate: there is one leaf per
node along the stem. The edges of leaf blade is entire: no teeth or lobes. Erect,
branched, annual herbs, Erect, branched, annual herbs with alternate leaves.
Flowers small, unisexual, in dense axillary clusters or in erect or drooping,
densely or laxly panicled, spike-like clusters. Sepals 5, or 1 to 3, ovate to linear,
often aristate. Stamens 1 to 5, free; staminodes none. Ovary com- pressed; style
short or none; ovule 1. Fruit a compressed, indehiscent or circumsciss utricle.
Seed orbicular. (Greek "unfading.")

2. Graptophyllum
Caricature plant is a tropical evergreen shrub that will grow to 6-9 tall.
Container plants in the St. Louis area typically grow as rounded 2-4 tall plants.
Caricature plant is primarily grown for its variegated foliage. Oval to elliptic
leaves (to 6 long) are deep green varyingly blotched with cream along the
midveins. Terminal clusters (3-4 long) of red to purple-red tubular flowers with
protruding stamens bloom in summer. Flowers often do not appear on container
plants, particularly if stems are regularly pinched to promote new foliage growth.

3. Alternanthera

A low-growing plant that typically grows on erect to procumbent stems to 612 tall. It is native from Mexico to Argentina.; Species plants have elliptic to
broad ovate green leaves (to 1 long). However it is the brightly colored cultivars
that have become the popular garden plants, featuring green leaves blotched
with yellow, orange, red, brown, copper or purple, sometimes with red veining.
Foliage of the brighter colored cultivars is suggestive of coleus. White apetulous
flowers appear stalkless or on short stalks in small axillary clusters in late fall to
winter, but are insignificant. Flowers are usually observed in St. Louis only on
houseplants or on container plants brought inside for overwintering. Plants in the
genus Alternanthera have a rather large number of descriptive common names,
including but not limited to Josephs coat, copperleaf, calico plant, bloodleaf,
joyweed and parrot leaf, all in reference to the brilliantly colored leaves which
provide foliage contrast to gardens and container plantings.

4. Iresine
This is a short-lived perennial that is often grown as an annual. In its native
habitat, it may grow to 5 tall with spread to 3 wide. Potted indoor plants grow
much smaller, typically being pruned to 12-18 tall. Red stems and oval purplered leaves (to 4 long) with notched tips and light red veins. Requires sun
exposure for best foliage color. Inconspicuous greenish-white flowers. Rarely
blooms in cultivation. Brilliantissima features purplish-red leaves with pink
veins. Aureoreticulata features green leaves with yellow veins.

AMARYLLIDACEAE
Slender or coarse herbs from bulbous, tuberous, or corm-like rootstocks,
the leaves radical, narrow or broad, sessile or pedicelled,the scape naked
or leafy. Perianth superior, regular or irregular, the tube long, short,
or none, 6-lobed or 6-parted, sometimes with a crown at the mouth. Stamens
6, inserted on the segments, the filaments free or connate; anthers
erect or versatile. Ovary inferior,3-celled;ovules many, 2-seriate. Fruit
capsular, loculicidal, rarely fleshy and bursting irregularly

1. Eucharis
Bulbs tunicated, the leaves petioled, oblong, green. Flowers large,
umbellate, white, fragrant, the outer spathe-valves 2 or 3, ovatelanceolate.
Perianth-tube cylindric, slender,dilated above, the segments broad,
spread- ing,
imbricate,subequal. Stamens inserted at the throat of the perianthtube,
shorter than the segments, erect, the filaments broadly appendaged
below, the appendages united into a 12-toothed cup, the free parts of the
filaments stout, shorter than the appendages. Anthers versatile. Ovary
globose,3-celled; ovules many; style filiform. Fruit deeply 3-lobed,finally
dehiscent. (Greek "well" or "true," and "graceful."