202 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
Portea—continued. s 
ones bi- or ternate; sepals ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 
‘scarcely imbricated; petals similar to those of Bill- 
bergia; peduncles terminal, with coloured scales; in- 
florescence in the typical species elongated. Leaves 
numerous, rosulate, elongated, rigid, spiny-serrate. 
The species require culture similar to Billbergia 
(which see). 
P. kermesina (carmine).* A. blue; spike erect, oblong. 
surrounded — — piculate, rose-colou 
bracts. J. tufted, ligule, abruptly apiculate, - 
channelled, h. inte. 
1870, p. 239.) * — — ol 
P. Legrelliana (Legre a spicate, with ——— red 
sepals and bracts, gor red ish- Te petal . lan- 
ohenbergia i 
, tillandsioides (Tillandsia- like). According to Ben- 
tham, this is the correct name of plant described in this 
work as Æchmea Ortgiesii. 
PORTENSCHLAGIA. Included under Elwo- 
dendron. 
PORTLANDIA (named in honour of a Duchess of 
Portland, who corresponded with J. J. Rousseau, and 
had some knowledge of English plants). ORD. Rubiacee. 
A genus comprising about eight species of handsome, 
very glabrous, shiny, stove shrubs and small trees, natives 
of the West Indies and Mexico. Flowers white or scar- 
let, large, often odorous, disposed on axillary, one to 
three-flowered, bracteate or ebracteate peduncles; calyx 
with an obovoid or campanulate tube, and a five-lobed, 
persistent limb; corolla large, sub-campanulate or 
clavate-infundibular, with a limb of five triangular, re- 
duplicately valvate lobes. Leaves opposite, thickly co- 
riaceous, petiolate, oblong or linear-oblong, with broad, 
intrapetiolar, deciduous stipules. Only three species 
have been introduced. These require a mixture of fibrous 
loam and leaf mould in equal parts, with the addition 
of a good quantity of sand; and plenty of heat and 
moisture are essential. Propagated by cuttings of rather 
firm shoots, inserted in sand, under a bell glass, and in 
a brisk, sweet bottom heat. 
P, coccinea (scarlet). fl. — with yellow anthers, 3in. Jong, 
2in. te, solitary. J. ovate or elliptical- 
— shining, in, long, 2in, broad. A. 2ft. to dit. 
feat, oin Jong flowered). fi. white, reddish inside at the 
bin. in. — ma — at night, axillary, 
ogy ogy elliptic or elli — 
em oblong, pointed, —— a he 10ft. to 14ft. West Indies, 
P. platantha Simb nearly Ain. fl. pure white; tube lin. long; 
; shining Summer, —— 
S en 
country unknown, 1849. E aes tig a 
PORTUGAL LAUREL. * Cerasus lusitanica, 
PORTUGAL QUINCE. See Cydonia vulgaris 
PORTULACA (the old Latin name, used by Pliny, 
but by him spelt Porcilaca). Purslane. ORD. Por- 
tulacee. A genus comprising about sixteen species of 
stove, greenhouse, or hardy, annual or perennial, fleshy, 
diffuse or ascendent herbs, distributed over the whole 
world. Flowers purple, yellow, or pink; sepals two; 
petals four to six. Leaves alternate or irregularly op- 
posite, flat or nearly cylindrical, often with tufts of 
bristles in their axils, and the upper ones forming an in- 
volucre around the flowers. The species should 
be grown in a light position in a greenhouse, and potted 
in a mixture of loam, leaf mould, and coarse sand. The 
P. foliosa (leafy). — shout three; —— petals 
Guinea, 1822. (BB. RL 
Portulaca—continued. 
P. Gilliesii nas a fl. red, purple, terminal, usually solitary. 
June and July. J. oblong, cylindrical, rather compressed, obtuse, 
dotted with axillary fascicles of hairs, erect, adpressed. Stems 
rather erect, branched at base. A. 6in. Mendoza, 1827. (B. M. 
Fic. 255, FLOWERING BRANCH OF PORTULACA GRANDIFLORA. 
. grandiflora (large-flowered).* Sun-plant. fl. yellow, purple, 
three or four together, terminal, crowded, surrounded by whorls 
of leaves and crowded hairs. June and July. 1. scattered, 
cylindrical, acute, with pilose axils. h. 6in, Brazil, 1827. See 
Fig. 255. 255. (B. M. 2885.) x 
P. g. Thellusonii (Thelluson’s terminal, ses- 
A of petals two-lol sabe ag PP cylindrical, obtuse ; 
floral ones sub-verticillate. Stem —— — in the axils. 
h. 1ft. 1839. Syn. P. Thellusonii (B. R. 1840, 3 1). 
P. oleracea (culinary). Common Purslane. ‘f. yellow, solitary 
or clustered, stalkless above the last leaves on the branches. 
June and July. i. small, oblong, wedge-sha destitute of 
bristles in their axils. A. 6in. South Europe, 582, The young 
. shoots of this plant are sometimes put in salads, and the Sater 
ones used as a potherb, or for pickling. The species is generally 
cultivated in Holland, &c., for these purposes. 
P. Thellusonii (Thelluson’ s) A synonym of P. grandiflora 
Thellusonii. 
PORTULACARIA (so called from its resemblance 
to Portulaca). ORD. Portulacee, A monotypic genus, 
the species being a greenhouse, evergreen shrub, thriving 
in any dry, light soil. Propagated by young cuttings, 
taken off and dried for a few days, and then potted. 
P. afra (African). —————— ji. pink, small; peduncles 
opposite, denticulate, compressed — one-flowered. l op- 
posite, obovate, Seah.’ yi šit. Africa, 17. 
PORTULACES. A natural order of usually 
glabrous and more or less succulent, sometimes long- 
pilose, herbs, rarely small shrubs or under-shrabs, mostly 
American, some South African or Australian, a few 
Asiatic, North African, and European. Flowers "regular, 
hermaphrodite, solitary at the tips of the branches, 
racemose, cymose, or paniculate, or the lower ones axil- 
lary or lateral; sepals fewer than the petals, commonly 
two, rarely five, free or adnate to the base of the 
ovary, closely imbricated, persistent or deciduous, her- 
baceous, scarious, or rigid; petals four or five, rarely 
many, hypogynons or rarely perigynous, connate, imbri- 
cated, entire; stamens inserted with the petals, free or 
in bundles, filaments filiform. Capsule membranous or 
crustaceous, rarely indehiscent. Leaves alternate or op- 
posite, entire,,often fleshy, sometimes stipulate. Several 
of the species are used as potherbs, and the herbage of 
Portulaca oleracea is eaten as a salad. Claytonia 
tuberosa has an edible root. Most of the plants com- 
prised in this order are mucilaginous. Portulacee in- 
cludes fifteen genera and about 125 species. Examples: 
Calandrinia, Claytonia, Portulaca. 
POSOQUERIA (Aymara posoqueri is the name of 
P. longiflora in Guiana). Syns. Cyrtanthus (of Schreber), 
Kyrtanthus, Solena, Stannia. Orn. Rubiacee. A genus 
consisting of about a dozen species of ornamental, very 
glabrous, stove shrubs, confined to tropical America. 
Flowers very sweet-scented, on ebracteate pedicels, dis- 
posed in terminal, many-flowered corymbs; calyx small, 
five-toothed ; corolla white, — pendulous, 
