AMARANTHUS VIRIDIS

Family and Genus:- See- AMARANTHACEAE

Common Names:- Waterleaf.

Homotypic Synonyms:- Euxolus viridis, Glomeraria viridis, Pyxidium viride.

Meaning:- Amaranthus (Gr) Unfading, reference to the everlasting flowers.

Viridis (L) Youthful, fresh-green.

General description:- Erect annual.

Stems:-

1) Up to 70 cm. procumbent to erect, glabrous or puberulent above, with long

branches from the base.

Leaves:-

1) 3-8 x 2-5 cm, ovate-rhombic, somewhat emarginate, or mucronulate, long-

petiolate, usually longer than the blade, with a fine undulate margin, prominently

white-veined beneath.

Flowers:-

1) Terminal inflorescence, a long, thin ± flexuous, leafless pseudo-spike or panicle.

2) Bracteoles, c. 1 mm, shorter than the perianth, ovate, acuminate, membranous.

3) Perianth segments, 3, 1-1.5 mm, weakly spatulate, usually acuminate, whitish

with a green midvein.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, when, pyriform, slightly beaked, strongly wrinkled and folded,

indehiscent

2) Seed, completely filling the fruit cavity.

Key features:-

1) Fruit strongly muricate, subglobose.

2) Stems sometimes puberulent above.

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Habitat:- Roadsides, olive groves, wasteground and trampled areas. 0-400(-800) m.

Distribution:- Coastal areas throughout Greece. Probably native to South America,

widely naturalised elsewhere. Fairly common and widespread around the coastal

areas of Crete.

Flowering time:- May-Oct.

Photos by:- An Other