Portulaca,] xvii. poutulace^. 169 



No stipular hairs. IHowcrs solitary and sessile, within 4 "bract-like 

 floral leaves. Style-lobes flat and trauspareut. 

 Leaves lanceolate or linear ............. 6. P. oligosperma. 



Leaves orbicular 7. P. hicolor. 



\, P. oleracea, Limu; DC. Prod. iii. 353. A low, prostrate, or 



spreading auiuia], seldom exccediiift* 6 in., somewhat succulent, and quite 

 glabrous. Leaves niostly alternate, cuneate-oblong, obtuse, very rarely 

 exceeding \ in., usually narrowed into a short petiole, the stipular hairs very 

 minute, and soinetiincs quite disappearing. Flowers terminal and sessile, 

 between 2 or more floral leaves, rarely solitary, usually several together 

 in little heads which are either single or several in a dichotomous cyme. 

 Sepals not nuich more than 2 lines long. Petals 5, scarcely longer than the 

 calyx, slightly united at the base, yellow and veiy fugacious. Stamens 10 to 

 12 or rarely fewer. Style short, with 5 linear stigmatic lobes. Capsule ses- 

 sile. Seeds minutely tubeJ'culate, the panicles often united at the base into 5 

 chisters.— A. Gray," Gen, 111. t. 99 ; P. Muell. in Hep. Babb. Exped. 10. 



. N. Australia. Victoria river, F. Mueller, 

 Queensland. In the interior, MlichclL 

 W. S. ^Vales. Port Jackson, U. Brown. 

 Victoria. Sandy banks of Snowy Kivcr, F. Mueller, 

 S, Australia. Elizabeth Creek, in the interior, Babbage^s Expedition, 

 Var. (?) (jrandijora. Sepals more obtuse, 3 to 4 lines long. — Start's Creek, F. Mueller, 

 The species is coniiuon in maiitime or sandy localities in most tropical countries, ex- 

 tending into the warm parts of the temperate regions, both of the northern and southern 

 hemispheres. 



2- P. napiformis, F, MuelL Herb. Glabrous, \vith decumbent or erect 

 stems of 6 in. to near 1 ft., the tap-root thickening into an oblong tuber. 



i^eaves alteniatc, linear, succulent, apparently terete, ^ to 1 in, long. Stipu- 

 lar hairs exceedingly minute. rio-^\ers smaller than in F, oleracea, usually 

 3 together, between 2 to 4 involucral leaves, but not quite sessile. Stamens 

 about 16. Style rather long, 4-cleft at the top. Capsule small, contracted 

 luto a short stipes. Seeds smaller than in P. oleracea^ black and shining, 

 finely granulated. 



N. Australia. Victoria river and Beagle Valley, P. Mueller; N.W. coast, B^noe. 



The species is allied to the East Indian P. tuberosa, Roxb., hat the flowers and fruits are 

 J«ach smaller, not so closely sessile, and there are not the long stipular and iiivolucrul 

 liairs of that species, 



3. P. australis, EndL Alalda, 7, L 6. Apparently decumbent and 

 nmeh branched, the stipular and involucral hairs copious, but oiherwise 

 ^;labrous. Leaves alternate, oblong, elliptical, thick, under \ in. long. 

 Howers yellow, 1 or 2 together, sessile between 2 to 4 involucral leaves. 

 Stamens numerous. Style dongated, 5- or 6-cleft. Seeds shhung, gran idate, 

 the fuaicles united into as many clusters as styles. 



W. Australia. Gulf of Carjjcntaria, Baner.—I have seen no authentic specimens, and 

 ' • - - J _ - , « > J — .•_.. ^ speci- 



'om Broad 



Sound, but neither are suflkic^^ fo7detcrminatiou' It'fs not improbable that both this 

 species and P,jinfolia may prove to be forms of the tropical Afiicau P.fohosa, 



Annual, with ci'ccl or decnm- 



— . «.ustraua. Uun ot Uar])cntana, lianer. — i nave seen no auuicuu^. ^i'^y^> 

 have taken the above character from Endlicher'a description aud Bauer's drawing, 

 men of F. Mueller's may be the same plant, aud perhaps cue of R. Brown's fn 



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