Amaranthaceae

Back Curved amaranth ( Amaranthus retroflexus )

The foxtail plants ( Amaranthaceae ) are a family in the order of the clove -like ( Caryophyllales ) within the angiosperms ( Magnoliopsida ). Here the often separately managed the goosefoot family ( Chenopodiaceae ) is incorporated.

• 5.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaves

Most species are annuals or perennial herbaceous plants or subshrubs; there are also some shrubs; few species are lianas or trees. Many species are succulent. In many species, the nodes ( more nodes ) are thickened to the stem axis. The wood of the perennial stem axis parts has a typical for the family " abnormal " growth in thickness, which lacks only the Polycnemoideae.

The leaves are usually alternate, sometimes opposite sides. Stipules are not available. The form of the leaves is extremely variable, the leaf margins are entire or serrated, its cross section is flat to terete, in some species the leaves are also reduced to tiny scales.

Flowers

The bracteoles and bracts are either herbaceous or trockenhäutig. The perianth is more or less herbaceous or trockenhäutig and consists of (rarely one to) usually five ( rarely up to eight) tepals. The usually present in equal numbers stamens are available either on the tepals or in between. They spring on Blütengrund a discus, which carries in some species appendage ( Pseudostaminodien ). The anthers have two or four pollen sacs. The Caroxyloneae vesicular anther appendages occur. The pollen grains are round with numerous openings ( pantoporat ), the number of pores of a few up to 250 can range ( in Froelichia ). The usually one to three (rarely to six) carpels are fused into a superior ovaries. In the ovary there is a (rarely two) basal ovule.

Fruit and seeds

Serve as a diffusion unit ( diaspore ) either the seeds, but often are the bloom still present in the ripe fruit and learn transformations which serve to spread. Occasionally, the support and bracteoles are included in the diaspore. More rarely occur capsule fruits or berries. The seed is horizontal or oriented differently, often with thickened and lignified seed coat. The embryo is green or white, spiral ( then without endosperm ) or circular (rarely straight).

Chromosome number

The basic chromosome number is (rarely six) usually eight or nine (rarely 17).

Ingredients

Widespread in the fox tail plants is the presence of betalains. The former Chenopodiaceae often contain isoflavonoids.

In phytochemical studies also Methylendioxyflavonole, saponins, triterpenes, ecdysteroids and specific carbohydrates in the roots were found.

Photosynthetic

With about 800 C4 species Amaranthus plants are the largest group with this photosynthetic pathway. Within the family, there are various types of C4 photosynthesis and about 17 different types of sheet anatomy. It is therefore assumed that this property was probably purchased about 15 times independently in the evolution of this family, of which 2/3 at the former Chenopodiaceae. The first time came C4 photosynthesis in the early Miocene in front of about 24 million years ago. In some groups, but these photosynthetic emerged only much, much later (or less) million six years ago.

The multiple development of C4 photosynthesis in Amaranthaceae is regarded as an adaptation to increasing water scarcity and higher temperatures. These types were by their greater efficiency in water use in dry habitats at an advantage and could spread there.

Use

Some species, such as spinach ( Spinacia oleracea) or culture forms of beet ( Beta vulgaris ) (eg beetroot, chard ), are used as vegetables. Other forms of Beta vulgaris are the fodder beet and sugar beet. The seeds of several species of Amaranthus and quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa), rarely also called quinoa, just as cereals ( pseudo- cereals) are used.

Mexican Drüsengänsefuß ( Dysphania ambrosioides ) and worm seed Drüsengänsefuß ( Dysphania anthelmintica ) are medicinal plants.

From several types of soda is extracted.

As ornamental plants, for example, garden - foxtail, celosia and Iresine be used.

Dissemination

The Amaranthaceae family is widespread in the temperate zones and the tropics and subtropics worldwide. Many species are adapted to soils with relatively high salinity or occur in dry steppe and semi-desert areas.

System

A group of species that includes more than half of the species was separated as its own traditional family Goosefoot family ( Chenopodiaceae ). Molecular biological studies showed, however, and suggested that the goosefoot are paraphyletic and give a monophyletic taxon only at a union with the Amaranthaceae in the strict sense, a close relationship of the two traditionally distinct families. Recent publications continue to use the family name Chenopodiaceae.

The Amaranthaceae family was erected in 1789 by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in Genera Plantarum, pp. 87-88. The first publication of the Chenopodiaceae family was made in 1799 by Étienne Pierre Ventenat in Tableau du Regne Vegetal, 2, p 253 The oldest and valid according to the rule of priority scientific name of the taxon is extended Amaranthaceae.

From the cladogram is clear that the classification of the Chenopodiaceae depends crucially on the subfamily Polycnemoideae: Is it business as usual considered part of the family, even the Amaranthaceae have to include in the narrow sense, and the name of the extended family is according to the priority rule Amaranthaceae. Would the Polycnemoideae but separated as a distinct family, Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae were two monophyletic kinship groups, which could be considered as separate families.

In the family Amaranthaceae in the new scope are the genera of the previous families: Achyranthaceae Raf, Atriplicaceae Durande, Betaceae Burnett, Blitaceae T.Post & Kuntze, Celosiaceae Martynov, Chenopodiaceae Ventenat nom. . cons. , Corispermaceae link Deeringiaceae J.Agardh, Dysphaniaceae ( Pax ) Pax nom. contain cons. , Gomphrenaceae Raf., Polycnemaceae amount Salicorniaceae Martynov, Salsolaceae amount Spinaciaceae amount.

The systematics of the Amaranthaceae family is intensively researched in recent years. Molecular biological studies have shown that the previous classification, which was based on morphological and anatomical features, did not reflect the ties of kinship. The sooner the Gänsefußgewächsen ( Chenopodiaceae ) attributed types are currently (2011) classified into eight subfamilies ( the processing is not yet complete ): the Polycnemoideae, which are regarded as original, and the Betoideae, Camphorosmoideae, Chenopodioideae, Corispermoideae, Salicornioideae, Salsoloideae and Suaedoideae. Within the Amaranthaceae s.str. (in the narrow sense) proved the subfamily Amaranthoideae and some genera within the Gomphrenoideae as polyphyletic, so the fact that additional taxonomic changes are expected in the coming years

The Amaranthaceae sl family is divided into the preliminary classification into ten subfamilies and contains about 176 genera with about 2050 to 2500 species:

• Subfamily Amaranthoideae Schinz: With about 57 genera, see main article Amaranthoideae. Müller & Borsch (2005) distinguish several clades: " Basal group "
• Cladus Amaranthoids
• Tribus Celosiae
• Cladus Aervoids
• Cladus Achyranthoids

• Subfamily Gomphrenoideae Schinz: With about 13 species in three clades, see main article Gomphrenoideae: Cladus Iresinoids
• Cladus Alternantheroids
• Cladus Gomphrenoids

• Subfamily Betoideae Ulbr. With two tribes and about five to six genera, see main article Betoideae: Tribus Beteae
• Tribus Hablitzieae

• Subfamily Camphorosmoideae AJScott: With only one tribe and about 20 species in three clades, see main article Camphorosmoideae: Tribus Camphorosmeae: Bassia / Camphorosma clade
• Chenolea clade
• Sclerolaena clade

• Subfamily Chenopodioideae Ulbr. With four tribes and about 26 genera, see main article Chenopodioideae: Tribus Atripliceae C.A.Mey.
• Tribus Anserineae Dumort.
• Tribus Axyrideae ( Heklau ) G.Kadereit & A.Sukhor
• Tribus Dysphanieae Pax

• Subfamily Corispermoideae Ulbr. With only one tribe and three genera, see main article Corispermoideae: Tribus Corispermeae

• Subfamily Polycnemoideae Ulbr. With only one tribe and three genera, see main article Polycnemoideae: Tribus Polycnemeae

• Subfamily Salicornioideae Ulbr. With only one tribe and about eleven genera, see main article Salicornioideae: Tribus Salicornieae

• Subfamily Salsoloideae Ulbr. With two tribes and about 35 genera, see main article Salsoloideae: Tribus Caroxyloneae Akhani & E.H.Roalson
• Tribus Salsoleae S. S.

• Subfamily Suaedoideae Ulbr. With two tribes and two genera, see main article Suaedoideae: Tribus Bienertieae Ulbr.
• Tribus Suaedeae

Swell

• The Amaranthaceae in the APWebsite family. (Sections description, photosynthetic, ingredients, systematics )
• Kai Müller & Thomas Borsch: Phylogenetics of Amaranthaceae using matK / trnK sequence data - evidence from parsimony, likelihood and Bayesian Approaches, In: Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Volume 92, 2005, pp. 66-102.