Amaranthus scleropoides

Uline & W. L. Bray

Bot. Gaz. 19: 316. 1894.

Common names: Bonebract amaranth bonebract pigweed
Synonyms: Amaranthus blitoides var. scleropoides (Uline & W. L. Bray) Thellung
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 433. Mentioned on page 410, 413, 432.

Plants annual, glabrous. Stems ascending to prostrate, erect when young, or main-stems ± erect, branched proximally, 0.1–0.6 m. Leaves: petiole equaling or 1/2 as long as blade; blade elliptic, oblanceolate to lanceolate, (0.5–) 1–3 (–3.5) × 0.3–2 cm, base tapering, margins entire, plane to slightly undulate, apex broadly rounded or emarginate. Inflorescences axillary clusters borne from base to top, axes thickened and inflated, becoming indurate at maturity (only in A. scleropoides and A. crassipes). Bracts of pistillate flowers keeled (only A. scleropoides and A. crassipes have keeled bracts), ovate-triangular, minute. Pistillate flowers: tepals 5, narrowly spatulate, slightly clawed, with expanded blade, equal or subequal, (1.2–) 1.5–2.5 mm, apex acute to apiculate; claws indurate at maturity; style-branches spreading; stigmas 2–3. Staminate flowers intermixed with pistillate; tepals 5, membranaceous; stamens 3. Utricles orbicular to compressed-obovoid, 1.1–1.5 mm, shorter than tepals, smooth to tuberculate in distal 1/2, dehiscence regularly circumscissile. Seeds dark brownish black to black, compressed-ovoid to broadly lenticular, 0.9–1.1 mm diam., shiny.


Phenology: Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat: Seasonally wet, disturbed habitats
Elevation: 0-1300 m

Distribution

Okla., Tex., Mexico (Tamaulipas)

Discussion

A hybrid between Amaranthus crassipes and A. scleropoides was recently described as A. ×texensis Henrickson and reported from southeastern Texas (J. Henrickson 1999).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Amaranthus scleropoides"
acute;apiculate +
Sergei L. Mosyakin +  and Kenneth R. Robertson +
Uline & W. L. Bray +
inflated +
indurate +
tapering +
Undefined subg. Albersia +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
oblanceolate +  and lanceolate +
expanded +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
persistent +
ovate-triangular +  and keeled +
indurate +
Bonebract amaranth +  and bonebract pigweed +
Okla. +, Tex. +  and Mexico (Tamaulipas) +
0-1300 m +
peripheral +
staminate +  and pistillate +
hypogynous +
minute +  and small +
not +  and dehiscent +
Seasonally wet, disturbed habitats +
reduced +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
plane +  and slightly undulate +
scarious +  and membranaceous +
Flowering summer–fall. +
rudimentary +
0.9mm;1.1mm +
compressed-ovoid +  and broadly lenticular +
nearly +, simple +  and branched +
prostrate +  and decumbent +
erect +, ascending +  and prostrate +
not fleshy +
slender +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Amaranthus blitoides var. scleropoides +
Amaranthus scleropoides +
Amaranthus subg. Albersia +
species +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
distinct +
clawed +  and spatulate +
subequal +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
membranaceous +
walled +  and 3(-5)-veined +
circumscissile +
smooth +  and tuberculate +
orbicular +  and compressed-obovoid +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
membranaceous +