OregonFlora: Alternanthera pungens vs. Amaranthaceae

	Alternanthera pungens	Amaranthaceae
		amaranth family
Habit		Herbs, subshrubs, or shrubs annual or perennial, monoecious or dioecious, glabrous, pubescent, often farinose, sometimes succulent.
Stems		erect, ascending, prostrate or spreading, often much branched, sometimes fleshy and jointed.
Leaves		mostly alternate, sometimes opposite distally; simple, sometimes greatly reduced; margins entire, toothed, or hastate-lobed.
Inflorescences		axillary or terminal, commonly spikes or panicles, or sometimes solitary, with or without bracts.
Flowers		small and inconspicuous, unisexual or bisexual; perianths present or sometimes absent; corollas lacking; filaments free or united at bases; nectaries sometimes present in bisexual flowers; pistils with 1–3(5) carpels; ovaries with 1 cell and 1 ovule; superior or occasionally partially inferior, sometimes subtended by fruiting bracteoles.
Fruits		utricles or achenes.
Seeds		1; vertical or horizontal in relation to infructescence axis; small, usually lenticular to globose.

	Alternanthera pungens	Amaranthaceae
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[BONAP county map]
Discussion		Worldwide. ~165 genera; 18 genera treated in Flora. This family contains many plants of economic importance, including beets, chard, and spinach, as well as cereal grains and animal fodder crops. Beta vulgaris has been occasionally reported as a short-lived waif. It has not, however, become naturalized in our region. Both the phylogenetic and morphological work support the expansion of Amaranthaceae to include former members of Chenopodiaceae (Stevens 2012). Following a recent molecular study of Sarcobatus (Cuénoud et al. 2008), the genus has been assigned to a separate family, Sarcobataceae.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 62
Web links	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA, OR Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Alternanthera pungens

Amaranthaceae

amaranth family

Habit

Herbs, subshrubs, or shrubs annual or perennial, monoecious or dioecious, glabrous, pubescent, often farinose, sometimes succulent.

Stems

erect, ascending, prostrate or spreading, often much branched, sometimes fleshy and jointed.

Leaves

mostly alternate, sometimes opposite distally; simple, sometimes greatly reduced;

margins entire, toothed, or hastate-lobed.

Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, commonly spikes or panicles, or sometimes solitary, with or without bracts.

Flowers

small and inconspicuous, unisexual or bisexual;

perianths present or sometimes absent;

corollas lacking;

filaments free or united at bases;

nectaries sometimes present in bisexual flowers;

pistils with 1–3(5) carpels;

ovaries with 1 cell and 1 ovule; superior or occasionally partially inferior, sometimes subtended by fruiting bracteoles.

Fruits

utricles or achenes.

Seeds

1; vertical or horizontal in relation to infructescence axis; small, usually lenticular to globose.

Alternanthera pungens

Amaranthaceae

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Worldwide. ~165 genera; 18 genera treated in Flora.

This family contains many plants of economic importance, including beets, chard, and spinach, as well as cereal grains and animal fodder crops. Beta vulgaris has been occasionally reported as a short-lived waif. It has not, however, become naturalized in our region. Both the phylogenetic and morphological work support the expansion of Amaranthaceae to include former members of Chenopodiaceae (Stevens 2012). Following a recent molecular study of Sarcobatus (Cuénoud et al. 2008), the genus has been assigned to a separate family, Sarcobataceae.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 62

Web links