Collection of plant material: Healthy Amaranthus spinosus grown at the sides of railway track of north Delhi were identified on the basis of following characters: (i) Erect, armed, glabrous plants up to 60 cm in height (ii) Two axillary,
diverticulate sharp spines, (iii) Much branched stem, green or somewhat raddish in colour and glabrous, (iv) Leaves 3-10 x 1-4 cm in size, ovate or oblong from a slightly decerrent base, gradually narrowed upward, apex, obtuse, rounded and glabrous, and (v) Flowers dense in axillary clusters, racemosely disposed, spikes often branched in lower regions terminal spikes often male flowers only, finally drooping perianth lobes 5, stamens 5, ovary ovoid or oblong, style 3, conical, stigma 3, fimbrillate.
Hyphal differentiation as follows: 1) aerial hyphae always showing crystal deposition, usually very lightly spiculate, but often with short lengths near agar surface heavily incrusted with rock-like crystals; 2) agar-surface (and some juxtaposed aerial) hyphae usually
diverticulate, with diverticulae short, cog-like; and 2) common agar-surface hyphae (never aerials) with elongate-alliiform swellings juxtaposed to septa (always simple septa, never clamped).