ASCLEPIADE^:. XLII. POLYOTUS. XLI1I. ENSLENIA. XLIV. GOMPHOCARPUS. 



143 



and sometimes by seeds. Rare or scarce species should always 

 be grown in peat soil, and have a little protection during severe 

 frost by mulching the roots. The greenhouse and stove species 

 require the same treatment as other common stove and green- 

 house plants. 





XLII. POLYOTUS (from vo\vs, polys, many, and owe 

 ous otos, an ear ; leaflets of corona auriculate at the base). 

 Nutt. in amer. phil. soc. trans, vol. 5. new ser. p. 199. Ace- 

 rates, Elliott. Asclepias species of authors. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Corolla rotate, 5-parted, 

 reflexed. Corona simple, 5-parted ; segments ovate, concave, 

 without any horn-formed process inside, auriculate at the base. 

 Anthers terminated by a membrane ; pollen masses compressed, 

 pendulous, fixed by their tapering apices. Stigma depressed, 

 mutic. Follicles smooth or villous. Seeds comose. Erect 

 herbs. Leaves scattered, or nearly opposite. Umbels inter- 

 petiolar or terminal. 



1 P. HETEROPHY'LLUS (Xutt. 1. c.) erect, villous ; leaves op- 

 posite, oblong-ovate, generally acute ; umbels globose, inter- 

 petiolar ; corona nearly equal to the gynostegium in height. 

 1. H. Native of Pennsylvania and Virginia, in dry fields, 

 ex Pursh ; and of the Arkansas territory, from Fort Smith to 

 Red River. Asclepias viridiflora, Pursh, fl. 1. p. 181. Gom- 

 phocarpus viridiflorus, Spreng. syst. 1. p. 849. Ascl. lanceo- 

 lata, Juss. Corolla greenish, with yellowish green corona. 

 Umbels nearly sessile. 



Var. ft, lanceolata; leaves from oval to ovate-lanceolate, 

 flat or undulated, downy or smooth. 1^ . H. Found at New 

 Haven. Corolla greenish, with a brownish corona. 



Variable-leaved Polyotus. Fl. June, July. PI. 2 to 3 feet? 



2 P. LANUGINOSUS (Nutt. 1. c. p. 200.) decumbent, hairy ; 

 leaves ovate, scattered ; umbels generally solitary, terminal. 

 1(. H. Native of the Arkansas territory, below the confluence 

 of the White river with the Missouri. Asclepias lanuginosus, 

 Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 168. Asclepias Nuttalli&na, Torrey. in 

 ann. lye. new york, 2. p. 217. Root tuberous. Stem 4-6 

 inches high. Flowers greenish. A doubtful species, which 

 requires to be examined in a living state. 



Woolly Polyotus. PI. \ foot, decumbent. 



3 P. LOXGIFOLIUS (Nutt. 1. c.) puberulous ; stems erectish ; 

 leaves scattered, long-linear, acute ; umbels interpetiolar, pe- 

 dunculate ; corona stipitate, shorter than the gynostegium ; 

 follicles villous. I/. H. Native from Illinois and Missouri to 

 Red river, on the margins of ponds ; and in places overflowed 

 by rain in winter. It is also to be found in swamps near the 

 Atlantic sea coast ; from Sussex county and Delaware to 

 Georgia. Asclepias longifolia, Michx. fl. bor. amer. 1. 

 t. 116. Acerates longifolia, Ell. sketch, bot. p. 317. As- 

 clepias incarnata, Walt. fl. car. p. 106. Ascl. floriclana, Lam. 

 diet. 1. p. 284. A. paupercula, Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 167. 

 Gomphocarpus longifoliura, Spreng. syst. 1. p. 849. Umbels 

 loose, nearly globose. Leaves 6 inches long, and \ an inch 

 broad, downy beneath. Flowers small, greenish ; petals tipped 

 with obscure purple. Segments of corona oblong, concave, 

 with a purplish line near the base. Fructification yellow. 



Long-leaved Polyotus. Fl. Ju. Jul. Clt. 1816. PI. 2 to 3 ft. 



4 P. ANGUSTIFOLIUS (Nutt. 1. c. p. 201.) stems erect; leaves 

 linear, nearly opposite ; umbels interpetiolar, nearly sessile ; 

 corona rather longer than the gynostegium, sessile ; leaflets of 

 corona tridentate at the apex. 7 . H. Native of the Arkansas 

 territory, in dry prairies, from Fort Smith to the Red River. 

 Stems naked at bottom. Leaves somewhat revolute and scabrous 

 on the edges, acute. Umbels 3-4- 8- flowered. Flowers greenish, 

 with a mixture of white. Leaflets of corona concave and auri- 

 culate below : having the central tooth of each small. This 



species is nearly allied to Gomphocarpus and Asclepias, par- 

 ticularly to Ascl. cinerea. 



Narrorv-leaved Polyotus. PI. 1 foot. 



5 P. OBOVA'TUS (Nutt. 1. c.) leaves obovate, mucronate, to- 

 mentose beneath ; umbels almost sessile ; corona twice as long 

 as the gynostegium. Tf. . H. Native of Georgia. Asclepias 

 obovata, Ell. sketch, p. 321. Flowers greenish. 



Obuvate-leaved. Polyotus. PI. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Asclepias, above. 



XLIII. ENSLE'NIA (so named after Aloysius Enslen, an as- 

 siduous and practical botanist, patronized in his researches in the 

 United States by Prince Lichtenstein). Nutt. gen. amer. 1 . p. 

 164. and in amer. phil. soc. trans. 5. p. 203. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdntlria, Digynia. Corolla 5-parted, erect. 

 Corona simple, 5-parted, petaloid, flat, truncate : the segments 

 ending in a bifid thread. Stigma conical, sub-bilamellate. The 

 rest as in Asclepias. A twining herb. Leaves opposite. 

 Flowers umbellate. 



1 E. A'LBIDA (Nutt. gen. amer. 1. c. amer. phil. soc. trans. 

 1. c.). Tf.. *"\ H. Native near Fort Smith, and other places 

 along the banks of the Arkansas ; found also on the banks of 

 the Potomac, Scioto and Ohio, &c. 



Whitish-dowered Enslenia. PI. tw. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Asclepias, above. 



XLIV. GOMPHOCA'RPUS (from yo^g, gomphos, a club, 

 and Kupirog, harpos, a fruit ; in reference to the ventricose fol- 

 licles). R. Br. in mem. wern. soc. 1. p. 37. Asclepias species, 

 Lin. and Tliunb. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Corolla 5-parted, re- 

 flexed. Corona seated on the top of the tube of the filaments ; 

 5-leaved ; foliola cucullate, furnished with a tooth on both sides, 

 empty inside. Anthers terminated by a membrane ; pollen 

 masses compressed, fixed by their tapering tops, pendulous. 

 Stigma depressed, mutic. Follicles ventricose, echinated by 

 soft spines. Seeds comose. Erect shrubs or subshrubs, na- 

 tives of South Africa. Leaves opposite, with usually revolute 

 edges. Umbels interpetiolar. 



1 G. ARBORE'SCENS (R. Br. 1. c. p. 38. and in Hort. kew. 

 ed. 2. vol. 2. p. 79.) stem villous, branched ; leaves ovate- 

 oblong, glabrous, with an acumen, fj . G. Native of the 

 Cape of Good Hope. Asclepias arborescens, Lin. mant. 2 1C. 

 Willd. spec. 1. p. 1271. Thunb. fl. cap. 2. p. 156. Jacq. 

 schoenbr. 1. p. 25. t. 50. Asclepias crassifolia, Hort. par. 

 Asclepias pubescens, Lin. mant. 2 15. exclusive of the synonymes 

 which belong to G. crispa. Burm. afr. 31. t. 13. Pluk. 

 amalth. 18. t. 359. f. 3. Peduncles, pedicels, and calyxes 

 villous. Corollas white, glabrous. 



Arborescent Gomphocarpus. Fl. Dec. Clt 1714. Shrub 4 

 to 6 feet. 



2 G. FRUTICOSUS (R. Br. 1. c.) stem downy ; leaves linear- 

 lanceolate, glabrous. Jj . G. Native of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, beyond the first range of mountains, abundant. Sims, 

 bot. mag. 1628. Asclepias fruticosa, Lin. spec. 313. Thunb. 

 fl. cap. 2. p. 154. A. glabra, Mill. diet. no. 12. fig. 45. Apo- 

 cynum salicifolium, Medic, act. parl. Herm. par. 23. t. 24. 

 Plukn. aim. 36. t. 138. f. 2. Asclepias crassifolia, Lin. syst. 

 p. 214. Branches slender. Leaves 4-5 inches long and an 

 inch broad. Flowers white. Peduncles and pedicels downy. 



Shrubby Gomphocarpus. Fl. June, Sept. Clt. 1714. Sh. 

 5 to 7 feet. 



3 G. SETOSUS (R. Br. 1. c.) branches villous ; leaves glabrous. 

 \1 . G. Native of Arabia Felix. Asclepias setosus, Vahl, 

 symb. 1. p. 23. t. 8. Forsk. desc. p. 51. Leaves an inch 



