3. Salicornieæ, Glasswort Group. Salicornia (Glasswort) has a very different appearance. The stems are succulent, jointed, and almost leafless; the leaves opposite, very small, sheath-like and connate; there is a depression in the axil of each leaf, in which a small 3-flowered dichasium without bracteoles is sunk; the flowers have a trimerous perianth, 1–2 stamens and 1 carpel. No endosperm. S. herbacea on clayey beaches.
4. Atripliceæ. This group has most frequently unisexual flowers; the ♂-flower has a 4–5 partite perianth, but the ♀-flower differs from it. Atriplex is monœcious or polygamous, the ♀-flower is naked, but has 2 large, herbaceous bracteoles which expand during the ripening of the fruit, and often become warted and fringed, enveloping the compressed nut. The section Dichospermum has two kinds of ♀-flowers, one like those just described, the other similar to the Chenopodium-flowers, which have been deprived of their stamens, and the fruits of which are depressed, not pressed together from the sides; some (e.g. A. hortensis) have even three kinds of nuts. All the flowers of Atriplex, which present vertical fruits, are accessory shoots, which stand beneath the ordinary flower-clusters, a rather singular relation.—Spinacia (Spinach) is diœcious; ♂-flower: perianth, 4 (-5); stamens, 4 (-5); ♀-flower: tubular, 2–4-partite perianth, hardening during the ripening of the fruit, and uniting with the compressed nut; in S. oleracea, it also forms thorns; 4 long stigmas.—Halimus has the 2 long bracteoles almost entirely united and ultimately adhering firmly to the fruit.
5. Baselleæ. A somewhat exceptional group with more or less perigynous flowers and 2 bracteoles. Basella, Boussingaultia, Ullucus. The perianth is sepaloid; ovary 1-ovuled. In Basella the perianth is fleshy, enveloping the nut, and the cotyledons are so rolled together that a tranverse cut divides them in two places (as in Spirolobeæ). Herbaceous climbing plants.
Pollination. Wind-and self-pollination, as far as is known; the insignificant flowers, devoid of honey, appear to exclude insect-pollination.—520 species. Most of them are annual (out of 26 native species only 5 are perennial); inhabiting salt-marshes and salt-steppes, and growing as weeds (most frequently on garden or field soil containing manure) in this country, especially species of Chenopodium and Atriplex. The majority are found outside the Tropics, and play a very important part, for example, in the Asiatic salt-steppes. They grow gregariously in large masses.
Uses. Comparatively few. The only important one is Beta vulgaris (from the Mediterranean basin), with its different varieties, viz. Beet-root, Cattle-beet or Red-beet, Sugar-beet, and others. These are biennial, making in the first year a root which acts as a reservoir of reserve material, with a rosette of leaves, and in the second year using this material in the production of a long stem, leaves and flowers. The primary root has been developed by cultivation into a very thick and fleshy tap-root; its mode of increase in thickness deviates from that of other roots, concentric rings of vascular bundles being formed from a cambial ring developed outside the previous ring. In this way several rings of vascular bundles separated by medullary rays, alternating with rings of parenchyma, may be found in the root of a Beet. Besides Beta vulgaris, var. hortensis (Beet-root), the following are also cultivated: var. cicla (Leaf-beet, “Mangold,” or “Roman Spinach ”), Spinacia oleracea and Atriplex hortensis as Spinach; a form of the latter and of Spinach are grown as ornamental plants. The tubers of Ullucus tuberosus are used as potatoes; Chenopodium quinoa, in Chili and Peru, is an important farinaceous plant. Soda is made from some (Salsola kali, Chenopodina maritima and others). Aromatic properties are rare: Chenopodium ambrosioides and botrys.
Order 4. Batidaceæ. Batis maritima, a bushy West Indian maritime plant.
Order 5. Phytolaccaceæ. The ☿ (sometimes unisexual), regular, sometimes slightly perigynous flowers are inconspicuous and have a single sepaloid or coloured 4–5-leaved perianth (generally united at the base); stamens either in 1 whorl in the spaces between the perianth-leaves or in 1 whorl opposite the perianth-leaves, or in 2, one of which alternates with these; but the number may be increased by the splitting of one or of both the whorls to as many as 10–15–20–25. Carpels sometimes only one, sometimes many (4–10) placed in a whorl, either free or united into a gynœceum with a corresponding number of loculi in the ovary; but in all cases each carpel bears only its own style and 1 ovule. The fruit is a berry (or nut, capsule, or schizocarp).—Mostly herbs or herbaceous shrubs, with scattered, simple leaves without stipules (Petiverieæ; have stipules). Inflorescences, most frequently racemes or spikes, which in some instances are apparently placed opposite to a leaf, being displaced by a more vigorous growth of the axillary bud. Embryo always bent.—Petiveria has a straight embryo with rolled cotyledons.—Phytolacca, Pircunia, Microtea, Seguieria, Rivina (Pr4, A4, G1; berry), and others.
The following plant is, with some doubt, placed near this order: Thelygonum cynocrambe; monœcious. ♂-flowers: perianth, 2-leaved; stamens indefinite. ♀-flowers: perianth-leaves united, 3-toothed; G1, style gynobasic. Fruit a drupe. An annual plant; Mediterranean. Branching anomalous.
About 90 species; in tropical and temperate countries, principally America and Africa.—The red juice in the fruits, especially of Phytol. decandra, is used for colouring wine.
Order 6. Portulacaceæ (Portulacas). The flowers are regular (except Montia), hypogynous (except Portulaca) and ☿. The diagram which applies to the majority of genera is that in Fig. [367], but with all the 5 stamens completely developed: it may be considered as the Chenopodiaceous diagram with the addition of 2 bracteoles in the median line (m-n, these by some are considered as sepals), and with a petaloid perianth (usually designated “corolla”). The “petals” fall off very quickly, and are sometimes wanting. Most frequently 5 stamens, situated opposite the “petals,” but in other genera the number varies; Montia has only 3 stamens (by suppression of the two anterior and lateral, Fig. [367]), others again have more than 5, some a large and indefinite number. This may be explained partly by the appearance of a second whorl of stamens alternating with the first, and partly by the splitting (dédoublement) of the stamens. Gynœceum most frequently tricarpellate, ovary unilocular with 1–several basal ovules (sometimes on a branched placenta, as in certain Caryophyllaceæ). The fruit is a capsule, more rarely a nut.—The majority are annual herbaceous plants with scattered, entire leaves, often fleshy and smooth, with or without rudimentary stipules (dry, membranous, modified into hairs). Inflorescence cymose.