54 TALINUM TERETIFOLIUM. TERETE TALINUM. 



The genus Talimmi was in existence long before our plant 

 was placed in it. It was founded in 1763, by Michael Adanson, 

 a distinguished French botanist, who has been made famous by 

 having the celebrated Baobob Tree of Africa, Adansonia digi- 

 tata, named in his honor, — a tree which, on account of the 

 great size of its trunk, and the age to which it is supposed to 

 live, has been classed with the wonders of the vegetable world. 

 Talinum is not a large genus, being confined to about two 

 dozen species, and even of these several are referred to neigh- 

 boring genera by some botanists. Yet the genus is rather widely 

 distributed over the surface of the earth, having representatives 

 in Asia, Africa, and America; but these separate representa- 

 tives, or at least those found in America, are not very abundant, 

 and are rather confined in their limits. The present species, 

 T. teretifolium, seems to have been long known to botanists, for 

 Nuttall refers to an account of it given in a work by Leonard 

 Plukenet, published in London in 1691. In this work it is, 

 however, described as a Stonecrop, under the name Scdiim 

 petrcetun tcretifoliuni Virginianum. Nuttall says that in his 

 time it had been found in the mountains of Virginia, and " in 

 Louisiana, near St. Louis," which sounds rather odd to us at 

 present, unless we recollect that what is now the state of Mis- 

 souri was then (18 18) a part of the great Louisiana Territory. 

 He also states that it was found " several years ago by Dr. 

 Darlington near Chester, in the state of Delaware." This, 

 however, is an error, as the location should have been " near 

 West Chester, in the state of Pennsylvania." This little slip 

 shows how next to impossible it is, even for the most particular 

 author, — and such a one Nuttall certainly was, — to avoid mak- 

 ing mistakes. 



It is not surprising that the earlier botanists classed our plant 

 as they did, for its succulent leaves in the summer season have 

 very much the appearance of the leaves of a Stoneci-op or Sedum. 

 But if the structure of the parts of the inflorescence had been as 

 well understood then as now, it would have shown that this 



