Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae Juss. (1789)
Cosmopolitan family including herbs, shrubs, and vines adapted to a wide variety of habitats, from deserts to tropical forests. Formerly included the Chenopodiaceae. Comprises genera of great economic and medicinal importance in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Species display dense spike or panicle inflorescences, small flowers, and adaptations to disturbed or saline soils.
Achyranthes
Achyranthes
Genus of herbs and subshrubs in the Amaranthaceae family distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Pacific islands. Distinguished by stems with thickened nodes, opposite leaves, and terminal spikes with small flowers subtended by reflexed, spiny bracts at maturity. Several species are widely used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine and Chinese herbalism.