LYTHRARIEjE. VIII. CUPHEA. 



715 



stem herbaceous, erect, clothed with clammy pubescence ; leaves 

 opposite, on short petioles, lanceolate, rather pilose ; flowers 

 pedicellate, solitary, deflexed ; calyx beset with clammy pili, 6- 

 toothed ; petals 6, obovate, two of which are larger than the 

 rest ; the two longer stamens woolly beyond the anthers. 0. F. 

 Native of Mexico. H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 605. 

 Petals violaceous. Very like C. prociimbens, but differs in being 

 erect. Ovarium usually 18-ovulate, ex Kunth. 



Lanceolate-leaved Cuphea. Fl. Aug. Sep. Clt. 1796. PI. l|ft. 



26 C. .EQUIPE'TALA (Cav. icon. 4. p. 57. t. 382. f. 2.) stem 

 herbaceous, ascending, branched, hispid from stiff" bristles, as 

 well as the calyx ; leaves on short petioles, oval-oblong, atten- 

 uated at both ends, ciliated ; flowers pedicellate, solitary, spread- 

 ing ; petals 6, obovate, nearly equal ; filaments of 2 of the sta- 

 mens bearded, the rest glabrous. Q, F. Native of Mexico, 

 between Acapulco and the town of Mexico. Calyx 7-9 lines 

 long. Petals purplish violet. Stamens 11-12. 



Equal-petalled Cuphea. PI. ascending. 



27 C. VIRGA'TA (Cav. icon. 4. p. 57. t. 382. f. 1.) stem her- 

 baceous, twiggy, branched, hispid from stiff" bristles, as well as 

 the calyxes ; leaves almost sessile, ovate-lanceolate, bluntish at 

 the bas< , hispid ; flowers pedicellate, solitary, spreading ; petals 

 6, obovate, nearly equal ; many of the filaments are bearded. 

 O- F. Native of New Spain, in shady humid places, near Sal- 

 vatierra, and of Mexico near Jalapa. C. nitidula, H. B. et 

 Kunth, nov. gen. 6. p. 206. C. adscendens, Moc. et Sesse, fl. 

 mex. icon. ined. Petals red. 



Twiggy Cuphea. PI. 1 foot. 



4. Melanice. Stems herbaceous. Pedicels axillary, very 

 short, \-Jlonered. Calyx gibbous at the base, or furnished with a 

 short spur. Petals small. Stamens 6-9 or even 10. 



28 C. PARSONSIA (R. Br. ex Steud. nom. p. 245.) stem her- 

 baceous, prostrate, branched, rather scabrous ; leaves opposite, 

 on short petioles, oval, acute at both ends, glabrous, as well as 

 the calyxes ; flowers solitary, almost sessile ; petals 6, oblong, 

 nearly equal ; stamens 6, 2 of which are a little longer than the 

 rest. 7/.S. Native of Jamaica, St. Domingo, and Porto Rico, 

 in moist rocky places. Parsonsia herbacea, &c. P. Browne, 

 jam. 199. t. 21. f. 1. Lythrum Parsonsia, Lin. spec. 641. 

 Swartz, obs. 193. Melanium scabrum, Spreng. syst. 2. p. 455. 

 Parsonsia prostrata, Bert. ined. Duvernaya, Desp. in herb. Juss. 

 Flowers pale red. 



Parsons's Cuphea. PI. prostrate or creeping. 



29 C. MELA'NIUM (R. Br. et Steud. nom. p. 245.) stems her- 

 baceous, prostrate, pubescent at the apex ; leaves opposite, 

 almost sessile, elliptic, acuminated at both ends ; flowers almost 

 sessile, solitary, alternate ; petals 6, oblong. If. . S. Native of 

 Jamaica. Melanium, &c. P. Browne, jam. 2. p. 217. Lythrum 

 Melanium, Lin. spec. 641. Swartz, obs. p. 103. Melanium allia- 

 ceum, Spreng. syst. 2. p. 454. Plant fetid when bruised. 

 Flowers purple. Stamens 8-10, unequal, short. Stigma acute. 

 Ovarium 6-7-ovulate, ex Swartz. 



Black Cuphea. PL prostrate. 



30 C. HI'RTA (D. C. prod. 3. p. 86.) stem herbaceous, erect, 

 branched, hairy ; leaves opposite, sessile, lanceolate, scabrous on 

 both surfaces ; flowers pedicellate, usually solitary, erect ; calyx 

 hairy, striped ; petals oblong. Q. F. Native of St. Domingo. 

 Lythrum Domingense, Spreng. in herb. Balb. Melanium hir- 

 tum, Spreng. syst. 2. p. 454. Stamens 6, ex Spreng. Petals 

 small, purple. Fruit few-seeded. 



Hairy Cuphea. PI. 1 foot. 



5. Fruticbsce (fromfrutex, a shrub ; the plants contained in 

 this section are shrubby). D. C. prod. 3. p. 86. Stems shrubby. 



Pedicels alar, 1 -flowered. Calyx gibbous, or furnished nith a 

 short spur at the base. Flowers small. 



* Stamens 10. 



31 C. SWARTZIA'NA (Spreng. syst. 2. p. 455.) stem shrubby, 

 decumbent, rather scabrous ; leaves on short petioles, ovate, 

 cordate, acute, wrinkled, scabrous on both surfaces ; racemes 

 secund, leafy; calyx pubescent, 10-toothed ; petals 5 ; stamens 

 10. Tj . S. Native of St. Domingo, in woods. Lythrum cor- 

 difolium, Swartz, fl. ind. occ. 2. p. 866. Petals blood-coloured, 

 nearly equal. 



Snartzian Cuphea. Shrub decumbent. 



32 C. DECA'NDRA (Ait. hort. kew. 2. edit. vol. 3. p. 151.) 

 stem shrubby, erect, much branched ; branches scabrous, com- 

 pressed at the apex ; leaves ovate, acute, ciliated, tapering into 

 the petiole at the base ; flowers few, racemose, somewhat secund 

 at the tops of the branches; petals 5-6; stamens 10. Jj . 

 S. Native of Jamaica, on the tops of the mountains among 

 rocks. Lythrum ciliatum, Swartz, fl. ind. occ. 2. p. 868. C. 

 decandra and racemosa Jamaicensis, Spreng. syst. 2. p. 455. 

 Flowers purple. 



Decandrous Cuphea. Fl. June, Oct. Clt. 1789. Sh. 1 foot. 



33 C. RACEMOSA (Spreng. syst. 2. p. 455.) stems suffruticose, 

 diffuse ; leaves ovate, petiolate ; racemes terminal ; pedicels op- 

 posite, long, bracteate ; branches and calyxes beset with viscid 

 hairs. f? . S. Native of South America. Lythrum racemo- 

 sum, Mutis in Lin. fil. suppl. p. 250. This species is not suffi- 

 ciently known, but it is nearly related to C. Snartziana. 



Racemose-dowered Cuphea. Shrub diffuse. 



* * Stamens 1 1 . 



34 C. SERPYLLIFOLIA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 201. t. 550. but not of Sims,) stem shrubby, procumbent; 

 branches elongated, clothed with hispid pubescence, viscid ; 

 leaves ovate-elliptic, acute, rounded at the base, strigose on 

 both surfaces, and viscid ; flowers interpetiolar, alternate ; calyx 

 clammy and hispid ; petals 6, unequal. fj . S. Native of Santa 

 Fe de Bogota. Ovarium 7-ovulate. Petals elliptic, purple. 

 Stamens 11, unequal. 



Wild-thyme-leaved Cuphea. Shrub procumbent. 



35 C. MICROPHY'LLA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 201.) stem shrubby, much branched ; branches clammy and hairy; 

 leaves ovate-oblong, acute, rounded at the base, viscid and rather 

 scabrous ; flowers interpetiolar, alternate ; calyx clammy, his- 

 pid ; petals 6, rather unequal. I? . S. Native of Peru, near 

 Ayavaca. Calyx dark purple. Petals violaceous. Filaments 

 11, villous, purple. Ovarium 9-10-ovulate. 



Small-leaved Cuphea. Shrub 3 feet. 



36 C. sc A'BRIDA (H.B. et Kunth, I.e. 6. p. 203.) stems shrubby, 

 and are, as well as the branches, bifariously pubescent ; leaves 

 oblong, acute at both ends, stiff, rather scabrous from strigae 

 above, glabrous beneath as well as the calyxes ; flowers alter- 

 nate, interpetiolar; petals 6, rather unequal; stamens 9-11. 

 fj . S. Native of Mexico, at Salamanca. Petals and stamens 

 purple. Ovary 16-ovulate. 



Scabrous Cuphea. Shrub 1 foot. 



37 C. ANTisYPHiLincA (H. B. et Kunth, 1. c. 6. p. 202.) stems 

 shrubby, procumbent, roughish ; branches pubescent ; leaves 

 ovate-oblong, acute, rounded at the base, scabrous ; flowers 

 alternate; calyx hispid; petals equal; stamens 11. tj . S. 

 Native of South America, where it is called Chiagari, and where 

 it is used by the inhabitants in the cure of syphilitic complaints. 

 Petals violaceous. Stamens villous. Ovarium 4-ovulate. 



Anti syphilitic Cuphea. Shrub proc. 



38 C. STRIGULOSA (H. B. et Kunth, 1. c.) stem shrubby ; 

 4Y2 



