202 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Fortea continued. 



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).* fl. blue; spike erect, oblong, 

 surrounded throughout by oblong-apiculate, rose-coloured 

 bracts. I. tufted, spreading, ligulate, abruptly apiculate, 

 channelled, h. lift. Bahia, 1870. (R. G. 829; E. H. 

 1870, p. 239.) SYN. Billbergia Brongniarti. 

 P. Legrelllana (Legrell's). fl. spicate, with bright red 

 sepals and bracts, and reddish-purple petals. I. lan- 

 ceolate, recurved, 1ft. to IJft. long, spiny, h. 6in. 

 Brazil, 1875. SYNS. jEchmea Legrelliana, Hohcnbergia 

 Legre&iana, (Eef. B. 285). 



P. tillandsioldes (Tillandsia-like). According to Ben- 

 tham, this is the correct name of plant described in this 

 work as jEchmea Ortgietii. 



FORTENSCHLAGIA. Included under El-am- 

 dendron. 



PORTLANDXA (named in honour of a Duchess of 

 Portland, who corresponded with J. J. Eousseau, and 

 had some knowledge of English plants). ORD. Rubiacece. 

 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 campannlate tube, and a five-lobed, 

 persistent limb ; corolla large, sub - campannlate 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. cocclnea (scarlet). /. scarlet, with yellow anthers, 3in. long, 

 2in. broad, axillary, pedicellate, solitary. I. ovate or elliptical- 

 oblong, pointed, shining, Sin. long, 2in. broad, h. 2ft. to 3ft. 

 Jamaica, 1812. 



P. grandiflora (large-flowered), fl. white, reddish inside at the 

 throat, 5in. long, liin. broad, very fragrant at night, axillary, 

 solitary, pedicellate. June to August. I. elliptic or elliptic- 

 oblong/nointed, shining, h. 10ft. to 14ft West Indies, 1775. 

 (B. M. 286.) 



P. platantha (broad-flowered).* fl. pure white; tube lin. long; 

 the flve-lobed limb nearly 4in. across. Summer. I. somewhat 

 ovate or obovate, acute, deep shining green, h. 3ft. Native 

 country unknown, 1849. (B. M. 4534.) 



PORTUGAL LAUREL. See Cerasns Insitanica. 



PORTUGAL QUINCE. See Cydonia vulgaris 

 lusitanica. 



PORTULACA (the old Latin name, used by Pliny, 

 but by him spelt Porcilaca). Purslane. ORD. Por- 

 tulaceoB. 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 perennial species should 

 be grown in a light position in a greenhouse, and potted 

 in a mixture of loam, leaf mould, and coarse sand. The 

 annual kinds may be raised from seeds, sown in boxes, 

 and afterwards planted in a sunny border out of doors. 

 All the species mentioned below, except the last, which 

 is quite hardy, are best treated as half-hardy annuals. 

 P. foliosa (leafy), fl. yellow, about three; calyx hairy; petals 



retuse; involucre many-leaved. June. 1. ubulate. h. 6in. 



Guinea, 1822. (B. B, 793.) 



P ortulaca continued. 



P. Gilliesii (Gillies'), fl. red, purple, terminal, usually solitary. 

 June and July. I. oblong, cylindrical, rather compressed, obtuse, 

 dotted with axillary fascicles of hairs, erect, adpressed. Stems 

 rather erect, branched at base. h. bin. Mendoza, 1827. (B. M. 



FIG. 255. FLOWERING BRANCH OF PORTULACA GRANDIFLORJI 



P. 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. I. scattered, 

 cylindrical, acute, with pilose axils, h. 6in. Brazil, 1827. See 

 Fig. 255. (B. M. 2885.) 



P. g. Thellusonii (Thelluson's). fl. scarlet, large, terminal, ses- 

 sile ; petals two-lobed. Summer. I. sub-cylindrical, obtuse ; 

 floral ones sub-verticillate. Stem erect, thready in the axils. 

 h. 1ft. 1839. SYN. P. Thellusonii (B. R. 1840, 31). 



P. Oleracea (culinary). Common Purslane, fl. yellow, solitary 

 or clustered, stalkless above the last leaves on the branches. 

 June and July. I. small, oblong, wedge-shaped, destitute of 

 bristles in their axils, h. 6in. South Europe, 1582. The young 

 shoots of this plant are sometimes put in salads, and the older 

 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. 



FORTULACARIA (so called from its resemblance 

 to Portulaca). ORD. Portulacea. 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). Purslane-tree, fl. pink, small ; peduncles 

 opposite, denticulate, compressed ; pedicels one-flowered. I. op- 

 posite, obovate, fleshy. A. 3ft. Africa, 1732. 



FORTULACE2E. A natural order of usually 

 glabrous and more or less succulent, sometimes long- 

 pilose, herbs, rarely small shrubs or under-shrubs, 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, hypogynous or rarely perigynons, 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. Portulaceae 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. OBD. Rubiacea. 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, pink, or scarlet, pendulous, 



