Capsicum. XCIX. SOLANACEiE. 447 



fields. It is a large, coarse herb, 2 — 5i' high, very branching. Leaves large, 

 oblohg, decurrent. Corolla sljgluly lobed, j)ale blue, while and with 5 blue spota 

 in the centre, July — Sept. () 



G. PHYSAlIS. 

 Gr. (ffvcTii, a bladder ; the inflated calyx enclosing the fruit. 



Calyx 5-cleft, persisteut, at length ventricose ; corolla campaim- 

 late-rotate, tube very short, limb obscurely 5-lobcd ; stamens 5^ con- 

 nivent; berry globose, enclosed within the inflated, 5-angled, colored 

 calyx. — Herbs, rare/?/ shrubs, icith axillary or supra-axillarij jiowefs. 



1. P. viscosA. Aikin. (P. viscosa, obscura, pnbe.sccn.s, Pennsylvanica and 

 Philadelphica, of aitihors.) Yelloir Hcabanc. Gnmnd Cherry. — Pubescent; 



5f. decumbent, herbaceous ; Z//rt«cAts .somewhat dichotomous and angular; lis. 

 solitary or in pairs, ovate, more or less cordate, repand-toothed or entire ; Jls. 

 solitary, axillary, pendulous. — Dry fields, roadsides, &c. Stem more or less 

 decmnbent, about a toot high, often viscid as well as the whole plant. Leaves 

 very variable in the same plant, 1 — 4' long, of i, |, or even of equal breadth, 

 acute, acuminate, or often obtuse at the apex, often abrupt at base, sometimes 

 nearly or quite entire on the margin, twice as long as the petioles; when in 

 pairs one of them is much smaller. Corolla twice as long as the calyx, green- 

 ish-yellow, with 5 brownish .spots at base inside. Fruit yellow or orange-colored, 

 not unpleasant to the taste, enclosed in the enlarged, inflated, angular calyx. Jl. 



a. Lis. somewhat viscid, oval, subcordate, geminate. 



/?. (P. Pennsylvanica. Linn.) Lvs. ovate and lance-ovate, subeutire, nearly 

 smooth, geminate. 



y. (P. obscura. Mlchx.) Lvs. pubescent, broad-ovate, subcordate, subsolitary. 



06s.— Many other varieties have been noticed as .species, but having examined specimens in numerous 

 localities, 1 am but confirmed in concurring with Dr. Aikin in the above view. 



2. P. LANCEOLATA. Michx. Lancc-lcaved Physolis. 



S"/. herbaceous, dichotomously branched, densely pubescent ; lvs. mostly 

 in pairs, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, entire, unequal at ba.se ; Jls. solitary, nod- 

 ding ; cal. villose. — % Penn., Western States, S. to Ga. Stem 1 — 2f high. 

 Leaves 3 — 6' by H — 3', often very unequal at base. Flowers nodding. Calyx 

 half-cleft, with lanceolate, acuminate segments. Corolla pale greenish-3'ellow, 

 with dark spots at base. Jl.- Darl. Fl. Cest., p. 139. — 1 strongly suspect this to 

 be only another variety of the preceding. 



P. Ai.KEKENGi. Winter Cherry. — St. somewhat branching below ; lvs. in pairs, 

 entire, acute; cal. of the fruit red or reddish. — Native of S. Europe, cultivated 

 for ornament. Plant about a foot high. Flowers white. Berries acid and 

 someAvhat bitter, f 



7. CAPSICUM. Tourn. 



Gr. KaizTCO, to bite ; from the acridity of the fruit. 



Calyx erect, 5-cleft, persistent ; cor. rotate, tube very short, limb 

 plaited, 5-lobed ; anth. connivent ; fr. capsular, dry, inflated. 2 — 3- 

 celled ; seeds flat, very acrid. — A large ge/ms of herbaceous or shrubby 

 •plants., pervaded by a heating., acrid principle. Lvs. often hi j^airs. 

 Fed. axillary., solitary. 



1. C. ANNUiM. Red Pepper. Cayenne Popper. — St. heibaceous, angular, 

 branching above; lvs. ovate, acu7ninate, entire, petiolate, glabrous; /7cc/. smooth, 

 axillary; cal. angular, with short, acute lobes; cor. hlics .spreading, longer than 

 the stamens; berry oblong or subglobose. red. — (I) India. Cultu-ated for its 

 fruit, whose stimulant properties are well known. — There are in gardens .seve- 

 ral varieties in respect to the fruit, a. The long, or Cayenne. 13. the depressed- 

 globose or squash pepper, best for pickling, y. the chciry pepper, used for jiep- 

 pcr-sauce and in seasoning meat, <J. the sweet Spanish pepper, used as a salad. — 

 Sown in March in hot-beds, transplanted in Mnv. K-rnrick, Am. Orch.. p. 374. :J: 

 3S* 



