OKDER XXI. PORTULACACE^: PURSLANE-FAMILY. ORDER XXIII. MALVACEAE MALLOW- TRIBE. 



143 



1. S. aunuiis. Knawel. 



Slightly pubescent; stem procumbent, branching, tufted; leaves numerous, 

 Harrow- linear, acnte, opposite, partially united at base ; flowers small, greenish, 

 nearly sessile, in leafy axillary clusters. A common little weed in dry soils. 

 Stems 2' 4' long. June July. 



13. HOLLtTGO. 



Sepals 5, united at base. Petals none. Stamens 5, sometimes 

 3 10. Styles 3. Capsule 3-valved, 3-celled, many-seeded. An. 



1. M. verticillata. Carpet-weed. 



Stem branched, depressed; leaves spatnlate, entire, arranged in apparent 

 verticils of 5 at each joint; flowers greenish-white, axillary, pedunculate; sta- 

 mens mostly 3. A very common weed in cultivated grounds, spreading flat on 

 the surface, making a sort of carpet. July Sep. 



ORDER XXI. Portulacacese. Purslane- 

 family. 



1. POETULlCA. 



Sepals 2, united below ; the upper portion deciduous. Petals 

 4 6, equal. Stamens 8 20. Styles 3 6 cleft at apex. Cap- 

 sule a pyxis, sub-globose, dehiscing near the middle, many-seeded. 



An. 



1. P. oleracea. 



Purslane. 



Stem thick and fleshy, very branching, prostrate, spreading ; leaves cunei- 

 form, sessile ; flowers pale yellow, sessile ; petals 5, cohering at base ; foliage of 

 a reddish-green color. A very common and exceedingly troublesome weed in 

 cultivated grounds and waste places. Introduced. June July. 



2. P. pilosa. Scarlet Purslane. 



Stem exceedingly diffuse, purple; branches suberect, enlarged upwards; 

 leaves linear, obtuse, with tufts of long hair in the axils : flowers large, terminal, 

 sessile, solitary, or several together, surrounded by leaves, and dense tufts of 

 hair; petals coherent at base, scarlet or purple. A brilliant species, native at 

 the south-west, common in cultivation. July Aug. 



2. CLAYT6NIA. 



Sepals 2, persistent. Petals 5, hypogynous, emarginate or 

 obtuse. Stamens 5, inserted on the claws of the petals. Stigma 

 3-cleft. Capsule 3-valved, 2 5-seeded. Per. 



1. C. Virginica. Spring Beauty. 



Stem simple, rather succulent, glabrous ; leaves opposite, linear, tapering 

 below with petioles ; flowers white, veined with purple, In a terminal raceme, 

 on slender nodding pedicels ; sepals rather acute ; petals mostly emarginate. 

 A handsome little plant 4' 8' high, arising from a root buried deep in the 

 ground. Stem with 2 opposite leaves. Low grounds. Bare in N. Eng. but 

 common westward. 



2. C. Caroliniana. 



Spring Beauty. 



Smooth, somewhat succulent ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, somewhat spatulate 

 at base or abruptly decurrent into the petiole; radical ones few, spatulate; 

 flowers smaller than in the last, rose-color, veined with purple, in a terminal 

 raceme, with slender nodding pedicels ; sepals and petals very obtuse ; root 

 tuberous, deep in the ground. A delicate species smaller than the last, common 

 in certain districts. Ap. May. 



ORDER XXII. Mesembryanthemacese. Ice- 

 plant-family. 



1. MESEMBRYlNTHEMUM. 



Sepals 4 8, usually 5. Petals numerous, in many rows. 

 Stamens numerous, attached to the calyx. Ovaries many-celled. 

 Seeds numerous. Per. 



1. M. crystallinuru. 



Ice-plant. 



Stem creeping ; leaves ovate, acute, wavy, frosted, 3-veined beneath ; flow- 

 ers white, appearing through the summer. A biennial plant common In house 

 cultivation. The stern and foliage are covered with warty foot-like protuber- 

 anoos. 



2. M. cordifolium. 



Stem procumbent, spreading; leaves cordate-ovate, opposite, petolate 

 flowers pink ; calyx thick, green. A succulent, fleshy plant, common iu house 

 cultivation. 



ORDER XXIII. Malvaceae. Mallow-tribe. 



SYNOPSIS OF THE GENERA. 

 * Calyx with an involucel at base. 



1. MALVA. Calyx with a 3 -leaved involucel. Carpels separating when 

 ripe. 



2. AI.TILEA. Calyx with a 6 9-cleft involncel. Carpels separating when 

 ripe. 



3. HIBISCUS. Calyx with a many-cleft Involucel. Carpels united into a 5- 

 celled capsule. 



** Calyx without an involucel. 



4. ABUTILON. Capsule of 5, or more, separate carpels. 



1. MALVA. 



Calyx 5-cleft, with an involucel, mostly of 3 leaves. Carpels 

 several, 1-celled, 1-seeded, dry, indehiscent, circularly arranged. 



1. M. rotundifolia. Low Mallow. 



Stems prostrate, branching ; leaves on long, pubescent petioles, orbicular, 

 cordate at base, obtusely 5-lobed, crenate, thin ; flowers axillary, pedicellate, palo 

 pink, or whitish; pedicels reflexcd in fruit; petals twice as long as the acuto 

 segments of the calyx, deeply notched; involucre 3-leaved; fruit spherical, de- 

 pressed in the centre, mucilaginous, and called " cheeses " by children on ac- 

 count of the shape. Introduced into cultivated grounds and waste places. 

 May Sep. Per. 



2. M. sylvestris. Garden Mallow. 



Stem erect; leaves 5 7-lobed; lobes acutish ; peduncles and petioles hairy ; 

 flowers large, reddish-purple. A common garden plant, sometimes naturalized 

 in the Middle States, growing 3 feet high. June Oct. Per. 



3. M. 



crispa. 



High Malloiv. 



Stem erect, simple ; leaves angularly lobed and toothed, frilled, smooth, 

 flowers small, white, axillary, sessile. A tall plant, 56 feet high, of no beauty, 

 in gardens, sometimes naturalized in waste places. June Aug. An. 



2. ALTHJlA. 



Calyx surrounded by a 6 9-cleft involucel. Carpels numer- 

 ous, indehiscent, arranged circularly around the axis, separating 

 when ripe. 



1. A. officinalis. Marsh Mallow. 



Stem erect, downy; leaves alternate, softly tomentose on both sides, cordato 

 or ovate, 8-lobed, or sometimes entire ; peduncles much shorter than the leaves, 

 many flowered ; flowers large pale purple, axillary and terminal ; root as well 

 as the rest of the plant, mucilaginous ; stem about 2 feet high. Borders of sail 

 marshes. Introduced. Aug. Sep. Per. 



2. A. rosea. Hollyhock. 



Stem erect, hairy ; leaves rough, cordate, 5 T-angled ; flowers large, axillary, 

 sessile. A common garden biennial, 6 8 feet high. Flowers red, purplo 

 white, or yellow, and all intermediate tints, often double. 



8. HIBISCUS. 



Calyx 5-cleft, surrounded by a many-leaved involucel. Stig 

 mas 5. Carpels 5, united into a 5-celled capsule. Cells several 

 seeded. 



1. H. Moscheutos. Marsh Hibiscus. 



Stem simple, erect, terete, downy ; leaves ovate, acuminate, serrate, oftei 

 3-lobed, hoary-tomentose beneath, somewhat rough and pubescent above ; pe 

 duncles long, axillary, or united to the petioles ; flowers very large, 3' in diamo 

 tor, rose-color, crimson in tho centre, solitary : petals obovate, rctuse ; style 

 much longer than the stamens. A splendid plant 36 feet high, growing on thi 

 borders cf marshes, especially near the sea. Aug. Sep. Per. 



2. H. Syriacus. Altlicea. 



Leaves ounciform, % 3-lobed, toothed ; flowers delicate, large, purple, axillary 

 on peduncles scarcely longer than the petiole, solitary ; varieties have white, 

 red, and variegated flowers. A fine shrub, S 10 feet high, hardy when it has 

 attained its full eizo, but rather tender when young. JulySp. 



