beautifulflowers032840mbp

136 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS OF KASHMIB [Plate 53
Plate 55
CHENOPODIACEAE.
The Goosefoot Family.
(From the Greek chen, a goose, and pous, a foot, alluding to the
shape of the leaves of the Goosefoot.)
CHENOPODIOM, Linn.
A. Scentless herbs. Sepals 1-3 ... ... C. Blitum.
B. Strongly aromatic, glandular herbs.
I. Style-branches 3, or 2 with a smaller
branch ... ... ... ... C. ambrosioides.
II. Style-branches 2 ... ... ... C. Botrys.
C. Scentless or slightly fetid herbs. Sepals 5.
I. Seeds lying horizontally (nearly always)
in the fruiting perianth.
1. Leaves triangular C. hybridum.
2. Leaves not angular.
a. Lower and middle stem-leaves
always longer than broad ... C. album.
b. Middle stem-leaves as long as
broad ... ... ... ... C. opulifolium.
II.
Seeds lying horizontally and vertically
in the fruiting perianth ... ... C. glaucum.
Fig. 1. Chenopodium Blitum, Hook. f.
(Blitum is the Greek bliton, a vegetable, either our Amarcvntus Blitum
or A. capitatum.)
A hairless, erect or ascending herb. Stems 1-3 ft.
high,
rather stout, white. Leaves stalked, 1-3 in. long, triangular,
halbert-shaped, heart-shaped, long-pointed, deeply and unequally
toothed, bright green ;
stalk slender, shorter or longer
than the blade. Flower-clusters i- in. diameter, stalkless,
axillary and in terminal leafy spikes. Perianth of 1-3 sepals,
not enclosing the fruit. Stamen 1. Seeds vertical, smooth,
opaque, margin blunt.
Flowers .
August .
Locality. Gulmarg, edges of wood and rough places, about
8,000 ft., common
;
Ferozepore Nala ;
also at elevations of
12,000-14,000 ft.
Distribution. Kashmir, N.W. India, N. and W. Asia, N.
Africa, Europe.