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Amaranth family
Amaranthaceae Juss.
ヒユ科
An expanded family under APG IV incorporating Chenopodiaceae, comprising about 2,500 species. It includes food plants such as spinach, chard, and sugar beet, as well as common weeds like Amaranthus and Chenopodium. Many lineages are well-adapted to saline and arid environments, with multiple independent acquisitions of C4 photosynthesis.
Key Characteristics
- ●Flowers are small, apetalous (or with reduced petals); bracts and sepals are conspicuous
- ●Fruit is a utricle or achene, often enclosed in bracts
- ●Many species exhibit C4 photosynthesis or halophytic physiology
- ●Many species contain calcium oxalate crystals in stems and leaves
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
3 petals / 4 petals / 5 petals
Petal fusion
Free
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
3-4 / 5
Plant sex
Dioecious / Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Caryophyllales > Amaranthaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 80–65 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Major radiation within Caryophyllales through merger with Chenopodiaceae
- ・Multiple independent origins of C4 photosynthesis for adaptation to arid and hot environments
- ・Development of salt glands and salt bladder cells for adaptation to saline environments
Plants in Amaranth family on this site
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