168 FLOBA OF JAMAICA Trianthema 



rHorse purslane (Sloane). 



Spanish Town, Sloane Herb. iv. 9* I Broughton ! Bock Fort, Campbell I 

 Fort Clarence Hill, Harris I Fl. Jam. 6307, 9538.— Keys of S. Florida, 

 West Indies, tropical continental America, Africa, tropical Asia. 



Stem 2-3 ft. long, perennial. Leaves roundish, to elliptical, somewhat 

 cuneate at the base, variable in size, blade 1-5 cm. 1. Flowers subsolitary, 

 rosy or purplish within, half-concealed within the petiolar sheath. 

 Perianth about "5 cm. 1. 



Family XX. PORTULACACE^. 



Herbs, sometimes pomewhat shrubby, fleshy. Leaves alter- 

 nate or subopposite. Flowers solitary or crowded at the apex 

 of the stems and branches, or in terminal panicles or racemes, 

 regular, hermaphrodite. Sepals 2, adnate to the ovary at the 

 base or free, deciduous or subpersistent. Petals 4-6, hypo- 

 gynous or perigynous. Stamens inserted with the petals and 

 often adnate to them at the base, indefinite. Ovary free or 

 half inferior, 1 -celled, with basal central placentation. Style 

 with 3 to 7 stigmatic branches. Capsule circumsciss or 3-valved. 

 Seeds numerous, kidney -shaped, compressed. Embryo curved 

 round the endosperm. 



Species 210, mostly American, some South African or 

 Australian, very few in Asia, North Africa or Europe. 



Flowers solitary or clustered at apex of branches. Ovary 



half inferior 1. Portulaca. 



Flowers racemose or paniculate. Ovary free 2. Talinum. 



1. PORTULACA L. 



DiflEuse or ascending annuals. Uppermost leaves usually 

 involucrate round the terminal flowers. Stipules scarious, 

 minute or changed into hairs. Flowers solitary or crowded 

 at the top of the stem and branches, yellow, purple or rosy, 

 open only during the morning. Calyx deciduous. Petals 4-6, 

 free, delicate. Stamens 8-25, inserted at base of petals. Ovary 

 haK-inferior ; style deeply 5-7 -partite. Capsule circumsciss. 



Species 38, natives of the tropics ; 2 species also in temperate 

 regions. 



Leaves obovate-cuneate or spathulate; axils with or 



without very short inconspicuous hairs 1. P.oleracea. 



Leaves linear, linear-lanceolate, or subulate; axils with 

 long hairs. 

 Stems more or less prostrate, branches undivided. 



Petals purple 2. P. pilosa. 



Stems erect, branches numerous. Petals yellow. 



Petals 3 mm. 1 3. P. halimoides. 



Petals 5-7 mm. 1 4. P.^haiospenna. 



