Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes ± woody at base, never scandent
Leaves alternate, scattered, linear or spatulate-oblong, entire
Inflorescences dense to elongating, bracteate, terminal spikes or rarely in heads
Flowers bisexual, white, rosy or carmine to vermilion; bracteoles 2, persistent on fruit-fall
Tepals 5, equal or slightly dissimilar
Stamens 5, glabrous; filaments fused for at least half their length, alternating pseudostaminodes either free and bifid or adnate to adjoining filaments, which are then expanded almost to the tip and rounded or toothed on each side of anther; anthers 2-thecous
Ovary ovoid, narrowed into a style; ovules 2-20, erect; style long to very short; stigmas 2 or 3(-5)
Capsule included in perianth, circumscissile
Seeds black, strongly compressed-lenticular and shiny, reticulate; endosperm present
Nomenclature:
Hermbstaedtia Rchb.
Reichenbach: 164 (1828)
Moquin-Tandon: 246 (1849)
Hooker: 25 (1880)
Schinz: 100 (1893)
Schinz: 8 (1903)
Baker & Clarke: 24 (1909)
Cooke & Wright: 405 (1910)
Schinz: 229 (1911)
Burtt Davy: 43 (1926)
Schinz: 134 (1931)
Schinz: 30 (1934)
Meeuse: 145 (1961)
Podlech: 12 (1966)
Townsend: 82 (1982)
Townsend: 39(1988)
Townsend: 80 (1993)
Berzelia Mart
Martius.: 292 (1826) not of Brongn
Distribution & Notes:
Global: Species ± 15, confined to tropical and southern Africa
Southern Africa: Species 11, widespread except in Cape region
References:
BAKER, J.G. & CLARKE, C.B. 1909. Amarantaceae. Flora of tropical Africa 6,1
BURTT DAVY, J. 1926. Amarantaceae. A manual of the flowering plants and ferns of the Transvaal with Swaziland 1. Longmans, Green & Co., London
COOKE, T. & WRIGHT, C.H. 1910. Amarantaceae. Flora capensis 5,1
HOOKER, J.D. 1880. Amarantaceae. In G. Bentham & J.D. Hooker, Genera plantarum 3,1. Lovell Reeve & Co., London
MARTIUS, C.F.P. von 1826. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der natürlichen Familie der Amarantaceen. Reprinted in Nova acta Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino Carolinae germanicae naturae curiosorum 13,1
MEEUSE, A.D.J. 1961. Notes on the genera Celosia L. and Hermbstaedtia Reichb. (Amaranthaceae) occurring in southern Africa. Kirkia 2
MOQUIN-TANDON, C.H.B.A. 1849. Amarantaceae. In A.P. de Candolle, Prodromus 13,2. Treuttel & Würtz, Paris
PODLECH, D. 1966. Amaranthaceae. Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 33
REICHENBACH, H.G.L. 1828. Hermbstaedtia. Conspectus regni vegetabilis. C. Cnobloch, Leipzig
SCHINZ, H. 1893. Amarantaceae. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien III,1a
SCHINZ, H. 1903. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Amarantaceen. Bulletin de l'Herbier Boissier sér. 2, no. 4
SCHINZ, H. 1911. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der afrikanischen Flora XXIV. Vierteljahrsschrift der naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zürich 56,3
SCHINZ, H. 1931. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der afrikanischen Flora XXXVI. Vierteljahrsschrift der naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zürich 76
SCHINZ, H. 1934. Amaranthaceae. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, edn 2, 16c
TOWNSEND, C.C. 1982. Notes on Amaranthaceae 14. A new species of African Celosia and a new conspectus of Hermbstaedtia. Kew Bulletin 37
TOWNSEND, C.C. 1993. Amaranthaceae. In K. Kubitzki, J.G. Rohwer & V. Bittrich, The families and genera of vascular plants - dicotyledons 2. Springer-Verlag, Berlin
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