112 



MENISPERMACE^E. XIII. MENISPERMUM. XIV. ABUTA. 



pubescent above and tomentose beneath, of a hoary-grey colour, 

 on short stalks ; male flowers racemose, male corolla cup-shaped, 

 fj . S. Native of Brasil, in the province of St. Paul. Racemes 

 solitary in the axillae of the leaves, rarely twin or tern. Petal 

 about one half shorter than the calyx. 



Common Cissampelos. Fl. Oct. Shrub 1^ foot. 



36 C. VELUTI'NA (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 52.) stem suffruticose, 

 erect, simple, woolly ; leaves ovate, obtuse, velvety ; male co- 

 rymbs axillary, hairy, in fours ; male corolla cup-shaped, obso- 

 letely 4-lobed, pilose on the outside. ^ S. Native of Brasil, 

 in the province of St. Paul. Stem solitary or numerous. Flow- 

 ers greenish. 



Velvety Cissampelos. Fl. Oct. Shrub 2 feet. 



37 C. SUBORBICULA'RIS (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 53.) stem suffru- 

 ticose, erect, simple, tomentose ; leaves somewhat orbicular, 

 hardly repand, pubescent above and tomentose beneath on long- 

 ish petioles ; male corymbs in twos or fours, without bracteas ; 

 corolla cup-shaped, 4-lobed, rather pilose. Tj . S. Native of 

 Brasil, in the province of Minas Geraes. 



far. ft, sublanata (St. Hil. 1. c. p. 53.) stems rather woolly ; 

 leaves somewhat cuspidate. 



Suborbicular-\eaved Cissampelos. Shrub 2 feet. 



4. Female racemes bractless. 



38 C. ANDROMO'RPHA (D. C. syst. 1 . p. 539.) leaves somewhat 

 heart-shaped, quite smooth, membranous, entire, mucronate ; fe- 

 male peduncles aggregate, branched, bractless. Tj . w . S. Native 

 of Cayenne. Deless. icon. sel. 1. 1. 99. A very distinct species, 

 which should perhaps be made a distinct genus. 



Andromorphous Cissampelos. Fl. ? Shrub cl. 



39 C. EBRACTEA'TA (St. Hil. pi. usu. bras. t. 35. fl. bras. 1. p. 

 53.) stem suffruticose, erect, simple, downy ; leaves orbicularly- 

 rhomboid, scarcely repaud, pubescent above, downy beneath ; 

 female flowers axillary in fascicles, bractless. Tj . S. Native of 

 Brasil, in the province of Minas Geraes, where it is called by the 

 inhabitants Orelha de Onca. The roots of this plant are consi- 

 dered a specific against the bite of serpents. 



Bractless Cissampelos. Shrub 2-3 feet. 



Cult. All the species of this genus will grow freely in a mix- 

 ture of loam and peat ; and cuttings root freely, if planted in a pot 

 of the same kind of earth, with a hand-glass placed over them, in 

 heat. The species are either stove or green-house, and the greater 

 part of them require a great deal of room to spread, before they 

 can be got to flower. 



XIII. MENISPE'RMUM (from /JJJVT), mene, the moon, and 

 <nrepp.a, sperma, a seed ; in allusion to the half-moon, or kid- 

 ney-shape of the fruit.) Tourn. mem. acad. par. 1705. p. 237. 

 Lam. ill. t. 824. D. C. syst. 1. p. 539. prod. 1. p. 102. 



LIN. SYST. Dice cia, Polydndria. Sepals and petals disposed 

 in a quaternary order, in two or three series ; male flowers with 

 16-20 stamens ; female flowers with 2-4 ovaries. Drupe bac- 

 cate, roundish, kidney-shaped, 1 -seeded. Climbing shrubs with 

 alternate peltate or cordate smoothish leaves ; peduncles axillary 

 or supraxillary. Male and female peduncles rather dissimilar. 

 Flowers small, greenish-white. 



1 M. CANADE'NSE (Lin. spec. 1468.) leaves peltate, smoothish, 

 somewhat cordate, roundish, angular ; angles bluntish, terminal 

 one abruptly awned, mucronate, racemes solitary, compound; 

 petals 8. TJ . ^,. H. Native of North America among bushes 

 on the banks of rivers, and on fertile declivities, from Canada to 

 Carolina. Sims, bot. mag. t. 1910. Schkuhr. handb. 3 t. 337. 

 M. Canadense var. a, Lam. diet. 4. p. 95. ill. t. 824. M. angu- 

 latum, Mcench. meth. 277. Flowers small, yellowish-green. 

 Berries black. 



Var. ft, lobatum (D. C. syst. 1. p. 540.) angles of leaves 



acutish. M. Virginicum, Lin. spec. 1468. Flowers small, green- 

 ish-white. Berries black. Dill. elth. 223. t. 178. f. 219. 



Canadian Moon-seed. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1691. Shrub cl. 



2 M. DA'URICUM (D. C. syst. 1. p. 540.) leaves peltate, smooth, 

 cordate, angular ; angles acute, terminal one acuminated, hardly 

 mucronate ; racemes in pairs, capitellate. T; . w . H. Native of 

 Dauria, on rocky hills, at the river Chilca, not far from the town 

 of Nertchinsk, and also about Ouroulga. Deless. icon. sel. 1. 

 t. 100. Trilophus ampelisagria, Fisch in. hort. gorenk. Gmel. 

 Sib. 3. p. 108. M. Canadense, var. /3, Lam. diet. 4. p. 95. Very 

 like M. Canadense, but of smaller stature. Flowers yellowish. 



Daurian Moon-seed. Fl. Jun. Jul. Clt. 1818. Shrub cl.? 



3 M. SMILACI'NA (D. C. syst. 1. p. 541.) leaves peltate, smooth- 

 ish, cordate-roundish, bluntly angular, under surface glaucous ; 

 racemes simple ; petals 4. J? . ^. H. Native of Carolina. 

 Cissampelos smilacina, Lin. spec. 1473. Jacq. coll. 4. p. 128. 

 icon. rar. 3. t. 629 Cat. carol. 1. p. 51. t. 51. Female flowers 

 unknown. 



Smilax-like Moon-seed. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1776. Shrub cl. 



4 M. LYO'NI (Pursh. fl. amer. sept. 2. p. S71.) leaves cordate, 

 palmately-lobed, on long petioles ; racemes simple ; flowers with 

 6 petals and 12 stamens. }/. w . H. Native of Kentucky and 

 Tennessee. Stems 8 or 1 feet long. Leaves broad. Berries 

 large, black, 1 -seeded. Flowers purple. 



Lyon's Moon-seed. Fl. July, August. Clt. 1822. Shrub cl. 



^A species not sufficiently known. 



5 M.? ACU'TUM (Thunb. jap. 193.) leaves cordate, angular, 

 behind, acuminated at the apex, smooth. ^ . ^? H. Na- 

 tive of Japan, about Nagasaki. Lam. diet. 4. p. 96. Flowers 

 unknown. 



Acute-leaved Moon-seed. Shrub cl. ? 



Cult. As the species are all hardy climbing plants, they may 

 be used for covering bowers or trellis-work ; they are readily 

 increased by dividing the plants at the roots, or by cuttings planted 

 in a sheltered situation, early in the spring. Seeds vegetate freely. 



XIV. ABUTA. (Abouta, or Abuta, is the Caribbean name of 

 this tree in Guiana.) Barrer. fr. aeq. 1. Aubl. guian. 1. p. 618. 

 Juss. gen. 286. D. C. syst. 1. p. 542. prod. 1. p. 103. 



LIN. SYST. Dioecia, Monodelphia. Flowers unknown. Ber- 

 ries 2 or 3, rising from the same receptacle, (f. 30. a.) large, ovate, 

 dry, somewhat compressed, 1 -seeded, (f. 30. 6.) with a brittle co- 

 vering. Large climbing shrubs, with ovate feather-nerved leaves, 

 the two lower nerves approximate. 



1 A. RUFE'SCENS (Aubl. guian. 1. 

 p. 618. t. 250.) leaves ovate, acute, 

 entire, under surface greyish-velvety 

 or brownish, fj . ^,. S. Native of 

 Cayenne and Guiana, in woods. Male 

 flowers grey-velvety on the outside, 

 dark-purple on the inside ; female 

 ones unknown. Bark brown ; wood 

 reddish. A ptisan is prepared from 

 the branches, which is used by the na- 

 tives of Cayenne against obstruction 

 of the liver, to which they are often 

 subject: the ordinary dose is a drachm 5 

 boiled or infused in a pint of water : * 

 The same plant is called by them 

 White Pareira-brava. There are also 

 varieties with yellow branches and red 

 branches, called Yellow Pareira-brava and Red Pareira-brava, 

 and perhaps the roots of this are confused with those of the true 

 Pareira-brava of Brasil (Cissampelos Pareira), and sold in shops 

 for them (f. 30.) 



FIG. 30. 



