166 FLORA OF JAMAICA Tribulus 



Urb. Si/rub. Ant. iv. 315. (Fig. 53.) A specimen from Browne, 

 named by Linnaeus, is in Herb. Linn. 



Turkey Blossom. 



Kingston and neighbourhood; in fl. after rains; Browne, \ Wright \ 

 Broughton ! Distin ! Macfadyen ! Parnell ; Lane ; J.P. 714, Jenman ! 

 J.P. 2098, Morris ! Hitchcock; Chelsea Pen, Campbell \ near Kingston, 

 Clitte ! also Harris ! Fl. Jam. 6480, 11,967. Florida, Bahamas, Cuba, 

 Hispaniola, St. Cruz, Tortola, St. Martin, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, 

 Martinique, Margarita, tropics. 



Stem to 1 ft. 1. and more, more or less pubescent with white hairs, 

 especially at the nodes. Leaves varying in size, 2 '5-6 cm. 1., with 3-9 

 pairs of leaflets ; leaflets somewhat unequal in size, the larger in the 

 middle of the leaf, 7-17 mm. 1., 3-6 mm. br., unequal-sided, oblong, with 

 silky adpressed hairs beneath. Stipules 4-9 mm. 1. Flowers solitary ; 

 peduncle in the axil of the shorter leaf, and longer than it. Sepals 

 7-9 mm. 1. Petals obovate-cuneate, yellow, with numerous veins straight 

 below, branching above, generally 2-2' 5 cm. 1., up to 1*5 cm. br. near 

 apex, sometimes smaller. Stamens 4-8 mm. 1. Ovary hispid with white 

 hairs. Fruit 6-9 mm. 1. ; cocci tranversely 5-celled or by abortion 

 2-4-celled, with 2 horizontally spreading spines above, 4-5 mm. 1., and 

 2 shorter at the base. 



Browne says : " This plant, whether a native, or originally introduced 

 to Jamaica, is now very common about Kingston. The fowls are observed 

 to feed much on the blossoms of this plant, which is thought to heighten 

 the flavour, as well as to contribute to the fattening of them." 



3. KALLSTROEMIA Scop. 



Herbs, very similar in habit to species of Tribulus ; branches 

 ascending or procumbent. Leaves abruptly pinnate, opposite, 

 one of each pair alternately somewhat smaller than the other, or 

 wanting ; stipules linear-acuminate. Sepals persistent in the 

 fruit. Petals obovate. Stamens 10, those opposite the petals 

 more or less adhering to their base, the alternate stamens 

 smaller, with a stalked gland at the base outside. Ovary 

 10-12-lobed, 10-12-celled ; ovules one in each cell pendulous 

 from the central angle. Fruit composed of 10-12 cocci; cocci 

 tuberculate, 1 -celled, 1 -seeded, at length separating, leaving a 

 long central axis, not splitting open. Seed without endosperm. 



Species about 20, natives of tropical America. 



K. maxima Wight d- Am. Prodr. 145 (1834) ; Torr. & Gr. 

 Fl. N. Amer. i. 213 (1838) ; A. Gr. Gen. ii. t, 146 ; Engl. in FL 

 Bras. xii. pt. 2, 71 ; Et/db. in N. Amer. FL xxv. 111. Tribulus 

 terrestris major &c. Sloane Cat. 90 & Hist. i. 209, t. 132, /. 1. 

 Tribulus? foliis senis &c. Browne Hist. Jam. 220, t. 21, /. 3. 

 T. maxirnus L. Sp. PL 386 (1753); Jacq. Ic. PL Ear. t. 462; 

 Griseb. FL Br. W. Ind. 134. T. decolor Macf. Jam. i. 186(1837). 

 (Fig. 54.) Specimen from Hort. Cliff, in Herb. Mus. Brit., and 

 from Browne in Herb. Linn., the latter named by Linnaeus. 



