Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

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Amaranthus scleranthoides (Andersson) Andersson

amaranthus

Pollen grain of Amaranthus sclerantoides (scanning electron micrograph). Photo: Patricia Jaramillo Díaz & M. Mar Trigo, CDF, 2011.

Stems postrate or ascending, flowers monoecious in small axillary clusters, utricle smooth or wrinkled dehiscent or indehiscent and seed black and shiny.

Found in the coastal zone and especially common on sand dunes (Wiggins and Porter 1972).

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Plantae

Phylum
Magnoliophyta

Class
Magnoliopsida (= Dicotyledoneae)

Order
Caryophyllales

Family
Amaranthaceae

Genus
Amaranthus

Species
scleranthoides

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Amaranthus sclerantoides f. abingdonensis, A. sclerantoides f. albemarlensis, A. sclerantoides f. chathamensis, A. scleranthoides f. hoodensis, A. scleranthoides f. typica, Euxolus sclerantoides Andersson, fide Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew & Missouri Botanical Garden (2010)

Origin: Endemic

Status

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Widely distributed in the littoral zone of most of the Galapagos Islands.

References

Andersson, N.J. (1861-1862) Ueber Die Vegetation der Galapagos-Inseln Linnaea 31: 571-631
Andersson, N.J. (1855) Om Galápagos Öarnes Vegetation. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps Akademien Handl., Stockholm: 61-256.
Eliasson, U. (1985) Identity and taxonomy affinity of some members of the Amaranthaceae from the Galapagos Islands. Bot. J. of Linnean Soc. 91(3): 415-433.
Eliasson, U. (1989) Especies de Amaranthaceae en las Islas Galápagos y sus relaciones con las especies del continente Sudamericano. Pg. 33 - 38. Memorias. Taller sobre investigación Botánica y menejos en Galápagos.
Eliasson, U. (1966) Studies in Galápagos Plants. III. Centrospermae. Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift 60: 393-439.
Eliasson, U.H. Uno (1987) Amaranthaceae. Flora del Ecuador 28: 1–138.
Heleno, R. Blake, S., Jaramillo, P., Traveset, A., Vargas, P. & Nogales, M. (2011) Frugivory and seed dispersal in the Galápagos: what is the state of the art? Integrative Zoology 6: 110-128.
Howell, J.T. (1933) The Amaranthaceae of the Galapagos Islands. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 21(9) 87-116.
Itow, S. (1997) List of Plant Specimens collected in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Bulletin of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Nagasaki University, Natural Science, 38 (1): 53-144.
León-Yánez, S. Valencia, R., N. Pitman, L. Endara, C. Ulloa Ulloa & H. Navarrete (2011) Libro rojo de las plantas endémicas del Ecuador. 2 da. Edición. Publicaciones del Herbario QCA, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito. Pp. 957.
Robinson, B.L. (1902) Flora of the Galapagos Islands. Papers from the Hopkins-Stanford Expedition to the Galapgaos Islands. Proc. Amer. Acad. 38(4): 78-270.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Missouri Botanical Garden (eds.) (2013) The Plant List, Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed 1st January).
Stewart, A. (1911) A botanical survey of the Galápagos Islands. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 4th Series, 1: 7-288.
Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
Van der Werff, H.H. (s.a.) Pers. obs. and colls. Personal observations and collections.
Wiggins, I.L. Porter, D.M. (1971) Flora of the Galapagos Islands Standford University Press, Stanford.

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This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Amaranthus scleranthoides", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=165. Accessed 31 October 2026.