Spleen Amaranth

Amaranthus dubius Mart. PI. Hort. Erlang. 197. 1814
Amaranthus tristis Willd. Hist. Amaranth. 21, at least in part. 1790. Not A. tristis I/. 1753.
Amaranthus incomptus Willd. Enum. Hort. Berol. Suppl. 64, hyponym. 1813.
Amaranthus tristis xanthostachys Moq. in DC. Prodr. 13 2 : 260. 1849.
Amaranthus tristis flexuosus Moq. in DC. Prodr. 13 2 : 260. 1849.
Amaranthus tristis leptostachys Moq. in DC. Prodr. 13 2 : 260. 1849.
Amaranthus dubius xanthostachys Thellung, in Asch. & Graebn. Syn. Mittel-Eur. Fl. 5: 266. 1914.
Amaranthus dubius flexuosus Thellung, in Asch. & Graebn. Syn. Mittel-Eur. Fl. 5: 266. 1914.
Amaranthus dubius leptostachys Thellung, in Asch. & Graebn. Syn. Mittel-Eur. Fl. 5: 266. 1914.
Stems rather slender, erect, 3-10 dm. high, succulent, simple or much branched, green* glabrous, rarely pubescent about the inflorescence; leaves numerous, the petioles 2-9 cm. long, slender, the blades ovate or rhombic-ovate, 2-12 cm. long, 1.2-8 cm. wide, acute to rounded at the apex, the tip rounded and usually emarginate, rounded, obtuse, or acutish at the base, thin, deep-green, glabrous, or rarely pubescent when young, rather inconspicuously nerved; flowers monoecious, green or whitish, in slender, dense, terminal or axillary, simple or paniculate, usually drooping spikes 5-25 cm. long and 4-12 mm. thick, these often interrupted below, dense clusters of flowers sometimes present in the axils of the leaves; bracts ovate or oval, acute, scarious except for the* midnerve and the pungent tip, usually shorter than the sepals but often equaling or rarely slightly exceeding them; sepals of the staminate flowers oblong-ovate or oval, acute or acutish, mucronate, 1 -nerved, scarious; sepals of the pistillate flowers oblong to ovate, 1.5-2 mm. long, obtuse or acutish, often emarginate, mucronate, scarious, 1 -nerved, erect, distinct; stamens 5; style-branches 3, long and slender; utricle subglobose, slightly longer than thick, not compressed, usually exceeding the sepals, thin-walled, slightly rugulose, dehiscent at the middle; seed rotund, 1 mm. in diameter, usually sharpedged, dark reddish-brown or black, lustrous.
Type locality: Described from cultivated plants.
Distribution: Common nearly throughout the West Indies; southwestern Mexico and Yucatan ; also in tropical South America ; adventi ve in Europe.