莧菜形態及自然雜交率之研究

Morphological Study of Edible Amaranth and Its Natural Cross-pollination Test

臺灣莧菜品種依葉形及株形，可歸納為十系，雌雄花雜生於同一花序中，為雌雄同株異花，雄花數顯此雌花為少，花粉粒圓形，黃色，風揚力不遠，其自然雜交率在10%左右，紅莧對白莧為單一因子顯性遺傳，其染色體數由花粉母細胞測得為n=17。

32 accessions of edible amaranth were collected in Taiwan for morphological and taxonomical studies. According to the leaf color and plant characteristics, these accessions can be classified into ten groups. Edible amaranth is identified as a monoecious plant, but the number of female flowers is usually more than that of the male flowers. The pollen dispersal of edible amaranth is by wind but not far from the plant. The natural cross pollination rate observed in Fengshan is about 10% in edible amaranth. The red leaf color is governed by a single dominant gene. The chromosome number of edible amaranth is n=I7.