LVm. BEGONIACE^. 269 



■omearly so, terminal ; pet. broadly obovate, very abruptly acnminate; filaments 

 filiform, and, with the seeds, numerous. — (j) Native of California. Stems decum- 

 bent, brancJiing, 1 — 3f in length, with golden yellow flowers 2 — 3 inches in 

 ■diameter, the beauty of which is greatly heightened by the innumerable thread- 

 like, yellow stamens. 



2. M. OLIGOSPERMA. Nutt. 



Very rough v/ith barbed hairs; st. dichotomous; his. ovate-lanceolate, 

 tapering to very short petioles, Icbed or incisely dentate ; |jrf. entire, cuspidate, 

 expanding in sunshine ; sta. 20 or more, shorter than the petals ; caps. 3 — 5- 

 celled. — % Dry or rocky places. Pike Co., III., Alcad^ and Mo. to Tex. Root 

 tuberous. Stems If high, divaricately branched. Leaves 10 — 15" by 6 — 8", 

 'upper ovate. Flowers solitary, of a deep, golden yellow, 8 — 10" diam., very 

 fugacious. Cr\psule cylindric, very small. May — Jl. 



Order LVII. PASSIFLORACE^.— Passionwgrts. 



Plants herbaceous or shrubby, usually climbing. Lvs. alternate, often glandular. Stip. foliaceous. 



Fla, axillary or terminal, often with a 3-leaveil involucre. 



C'a/.— Sepals 4—5, united below into a lube, the sides and throat of which are lined with a ring of fila 



"mentous processes, which appear to be metamorphosed petals. 

 •Cor.— Petals 5, arising from the throat of the calyx outside the crown. 

 ^ta. 5, monadelphons, surrounding the stipe of the ovary. 

 •Ova. superior, on a long stipe, 1-celled. Styles 3. 

 Pi: stalked, within the calyx, many-seeded. 



Genera 12, si)ecies 210. natives of tropical America, but cultivated in many other countries as omamen- 

 'tal flowers. The fruit of the Granadilla (Passiflora multiformis) is eaten in the W. Indies, and highly 

 ■valued as a dessert, but the root is poisonous. 



PASSIFLORA. uu . ■ , 



tthe Saviors passion. 

 'Lai. Jlos passionis ; the- several parts of the flower were superstitiously compared to the instruments of 



Calyx colored, deeply 5-parted, tlie throat with a complex, filamen- 

 ■fcoua crown ; petals 5, sometimes ; stamens 5, connate with the stipe 

 of the ovary ; anthers large ; stigmas 3, large, clavate, capitate ; fruit 

 a pulpy berry. — Climbing herbs or shrubs. 



1. P. ccERULEA. Common Passion-flmccr. — Shrubby; Zys. palmately and deeply 

 -5-parted; segments linear-oblong, entire, lateral ones olten 2-lobed; ^rf. glandu- 

 lar, with a S^bracteolate involucre near the flower; bracteoles entire.; fil. of the 

 crown shorter than the corolla. — Native of Brazil, v/here it grows to the thick- 

 ness of a man's arm and the height of 30f. Flowers large and beautiful, blue 

 •externally, -white and purple within, continuing but one day. Fruit ovoid, yel- 

 low. Admired in cultivation. 



2. P. INCARNATA. Fksh-colorecl Passimv-flower. 



Lvs. deeply 3-lobed, lobes oblong, acute, serrate; petioles with. 2 glands 

 near the summit; bracicoles rt/"^Ae/.?iro/?(.crc 8, obovate, glandular; cro?:??;. triple. — 

 Native from Va. to Flor. Stem climbing 20 — 30f Flowers large and showy. 

 •Petals white. Tv/o outer rows of filaments long, purple, with a whitish band, 

 the inner row of short rays, fl'esW^olored. Berry pale yellow, of the size of an 

 apple, eatable. May — July. 



3. P. LUTEA. Yellow Passio7i-fioKer. 



Lvs. glabrous, cordate, 3-lobed, obtuse ; petioles without glands ; ped. mo.^stiy 

 in pairs ; pet. narrower and much longer than the sepals. — A slender climber, 

 ■5 — lOf long, in woods and thickets, Ohio and S. States. Leaves yellowish- 

 green, nearly as broad as long. Flowers small, greenish-yellow. Corona in 3 

 lows, the inner row a membranous disk with a fringed border. Fruit dark- 

 purple. May — Jl. 



Order LVIII. BEGONIACE^.— Eegoniads. 



Herbaceous plants, or succulent undershrubs, with an acid juice. 



ius. alternate, toothed, rarely entire, obliipte at the base. S?/pMte9 large, scarious. 



Fls. pink-colored, in cymes, monojcious or dioecious. Ca!. adherent, colored. Ipistillate. 



Bep. in the etaminate 2, in the pistillate 3 or 4. Pet. smaller than sepals, 2 in the staminate, 2 or .4 in tha 



Sla. (stam. fls.) indefinite, distinct or combined. Aiitfl. collected into a hea**, 2-ce!led. 



