416 ALSINACEAE 
red, yellow or white, 2.5-5 cm. broad: petals cuneate or obovate, notched at the apex : 
capsules 3-5 mm. high. 
In waste places and cultivated grounds, naturalized in eastern North America. Native of South 
America. SUN-PLANT. 
2. Poituláca pildsa L. Annual, more or less villous. Stems sparingly or diffusely 
branched, 0.5-2 dm. long, green, ascending, or the branches spreading : leaves numerous ; 
blades nearly terete, linear-subulate, 1-2 cm. long : flowers sessile : sepals narrowly oblong : 
corolla pink, 1.5-2 em. broad: petals ovate-oblong, obtuse or retuse: stamens 15-25: 
capsules 4-7 mm. high. 
In dry soil, North Carolina to Arizona, Florida and Mexico. Also in the tropics. Spring to fall. 
3. Portulaca halimoides L.  Perennial or usually so, from a stout fleshy root. 
Stems erect or diffuse, corymbosely branched, the young branches copiously hairy: leaves 
few, the upper approximate ; blades slightly flattened, 5-12 mm. long, acute: flowers 
clustered : corolla yellow : stamens 8-12: capsules 2.5-3.5 mm. high, the lid depressed, 
much shorter than the basal portion. 
Insand, Florida Keys. Alsoin the West Indies. Spring to winter. 
4. Portulaca coronàta Small. Annual, glabrous. Stems simple and erect or dif- 
fusely branched, like the branches, usually deep pink or magenta : leaves rather numerous, 
alternate ; blades flat but thick, mostly 1-1.5 cm. long, sessile, the lower ones usually ob- 
lanceolate, the upper oblong or oblong-lanceolate : flowers clustered at the ends of the club- 
shaped branches : sepals triangular, 2 mm. long: corolla about 5 mm. broad : petals ovate 
or oblong-ovate, 2 mm. long, 5-7-nerved : stamens 11 or 12: capsules hemispheric or turbi- 
nate-hemispheric, about 5 mm. high, the lower portion surmounted by a free edge, the lid 
rather low, not crested. 
In sand, Little Stone Mountain, Georgia. Fall. 
5. Portulaca lanceolàta Engelm. Annual, glabrous. Stems erect, or branched and 
somewhat diffuse, green : leaves rather few ; blades flat, mostly 1-2 em. long, sessile, the 
lower spatulate and obtuse, the upper oblanceolate to oblong, often acute : flowers clustered 
at the ends of the branches : sepals ovate: corolla yellow, orange or reddish : petals spatu- 
late or obovate: stamens 7-27 : capsules with a turbinate base surmounted by a narrow 
crown, and a flattish lid. 
On granite rocks, Texas to Arizona. Summer. 
6. Portulaca oleracea L. Annual, stout, fleshy. Stems usually branched at the base, 
the branches spreading radially, prostrate, 1-6 dm. long, forking: leaves fleshy ; blades 
cuneate or obovate, 1-3 em. long, rounded at the apex : buds flattened, acute : flowers ses- 
sile, opening on sunny mornings : sepals rather acute, keeled : petals yellow : stamens 7-12: 
styles 5-6, slightly united : capsules 5-9 mm. high. 
_In waste places, nearly throughout North America. Also in Central and South America and nat- 
uralized in the Old World. Spring to fall. PURSLANE. PUSsSLEY. DUCKWEED. 
7. Portulaca retüsa Engelm. Annual, stout, glabrous, similar to P. oleracea in 
habit, but rather more slender. Leaf-blades cuneate, 1-2.5 cm. long, mostly retuse or 
emarginate at the apex: sepals rather obtuse, carinate-winged : petals smaller than those 
of P. oleracea: stamens about 15: styles 3-4, well united: capsules 5-6 mm. high. 
In sandy soil, Arkansas to Texas and New Mexieo. Summer. 
FAMILY 10. ALSINACEAE Wahl. CHICKWEED FAMILY. 
Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes shrubby at the base, with a watery 
sap. Stems often diffusely branched. Leaves opposite, with or without stipules : 
blades various, entire. Flowers mostly perfect, sometimes incomplete.  Perianth 
usually of 2 series. Calyx of 4-5 persistent distinct or nearly distinct sepals. 
Corolla of 4-5 clawless petals, or wanting. Androecium of twice as many 
stamens as there are sepals or fewer. Filaments distinct or cohering below. 
Anthers introrse, opening lengthwise. Gynoecium of 2-5 united carpels. 
Ovary 1-celled or rarely 2-5-celled. Styles 2-5. Ovules several or many, 
amphitropous or campylotropous, on a central column. Fruit a capsule, open- 
ing by valves, these sometimes tooth-like. Embryo more or less curved in the 
endosperm, usually with incumbent cotyledons. 
Styles partially united. 1. LOEFLINGIA. 
Styles distinet. 
A. Stipules present. 
a. Leaves merely opposite by pairs. 
Flowers in terminal clusters. 2. STIPULICIDA. 
Flowers solitary in the axils. 3. TISSA. 
