144 



ASCLEPIADE^E. XLIV. GOMPHOCARPUS. XLV. OTARIA. XLVI. OXYSTELMA. XLVII. IPHISIA. 



long. Peduncles and pedicels villous. Flowers green. Fol- 

 licles bristly. 



Bristly Gomphocarpus. Shrub. 



4 G. CRISPUS (R. Br. 1. c.) branches downy ; leaves lanceo- 

 late-cordate, undulated, hispid. Tj . G. Native of the Cape 

 of Good Hope. Asclepias crispa, Lin. suppl. 170. mant. 215. 

 Thunb. prod. 1. p. 47. fl. cap. 2. p. 154. Commel. rar. t. 17. 

 Pluk. phyt. t. 139. f. 1. Mor. hist. sect. 15. t. 3. f. 37. 

 Peduncles and calyxes pilose. Flowers greenish yellow. Lam. 

 Umbels solitary, terminal, pedunculate, purple, ex Lin. 



Cur/ed-leaved Gomphocarpus. Fl.July. Clt. 1714. Shrub 

 1 to 2 feet. 



5 G. ANGUSTIFOLIUS (Link, emim. 1. p. 251.) stem erect, 

 downy ; leaves linear-lanceolate, flat, glabrous. Tj . G. Na- 

 tive of Mexico. Asclepias angustifolia, Willd. enum. 13. 

 Schultes, syst. 6. p. 70. Asclepias linearis, Hort. Leaves 2 

 inches long. Umbels dense, terminal, or nearly so. Corolla 

 small, flesh-coloured or white. 



Narrow-leaved Gomphocarpus. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1817. 

 Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



Cult. These are very elegant shrubs when in blossom. 

 They are of easy culture, growing most freely in a light soil ; 

 and are increased by seed, which ripen in abundance. 



XLV. OTA'RIA (from one >roc, ous otos, an ear ; the leaves 

 of the corona are biauriculate at the base). Kunth, nov. gen. 

 amer. 3. p. 149. Asclepias auriculata, H. B. et Kunth, 1. c. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Calyx 5-parted. Co- 

 rolla 5-parted, reflexed. Corona 5-leaved, seated on the upper 

 part of the tube of the filaments ; leaflets cucullate, each run- 

 ning from the bottom into a horn-formed process, biauriculate 

 on the inside at the base. Anthers terminated by a membrane ; 

 pollen masses compressed, fixed by the tapering apices, pen- 

 dulous. Stigma concave, mutic. An erect, herbaceous plant. 

 Leaves opposite, petiolate, reticulately veined, membranous. 

 Umbels interpetiolar. Flowers greenish yellow. 



1 O. AURICULA'TA. I/. G. Native of Mexico, near Ario, 

 in groves. Asclepias auriculata, H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. 

 amer. 3. p. 149. t. 228. Branches terete, downy. Leaves 

 oblong, acute, rounded at the base, flat, membranous, glabrous. 

 Umbels involucrated by many downy bracteas. Style pilose 

 at top. 



Auricled Otaria. PI. 3 to 4 feet. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Gomphocarpus, above. 



XLVI. OXYSTE'LMA (from ove, oxys, sharp, and 

 stelma, a crown ; in reference to the foliola of corona being 

 acute). R. Br. in wern. mem. 1. p. 40. prod. fl. nov. holl. 

 p. 462. Periploca species, Roxb. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Corolla rotate, spreading. 

 Column exserted. Stamineous corona 5-leaved ; leaflets acute, 

 undivided. Anthers terminated by a membrane. Pollen mas- 

 ses compressed, fixed by their attenuated apices, pendulous. 

 Stigma mutic. Follicles smooth. Seeds comose. Suffruticose, 

 twining, glabrous shrubs. Leaves opposite. Racemes or um- 

 bels interpetiolar. 



1 O. ESCULE'NTUM (R. Br. 1. c.) leaves linear-lanceolate, 

 veiny, smooth ; racemes longer than the leaves ; corolla fringed 

 with hairs ; follicles oblong, acuminated. %. <r> . S. Native 

 of the East Indies, in hedges, and amongst bushes on the banks 

 of water courses. Periploca esculenta, Lin. suppl. 168. Roxb. 

 cor. 1. p. 13. t. 11. Asclepias rosea, Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 40. 

 Pluk. aim. 19. t. 359. f. 6. Root composed of filiform 

 fibres. Leaves deciduous during the dry season, 4-6 inches 

 long. Flowers large, beautiful white, with a tinge of rose 

 colour. Roxburgh does not find that the natives ever eat any 



part of this plant ; but cattle, however, eat it. It is the 

 Dooghdika of the Sanscrit, see Jones, asiat. res. 4. p. 268. 

 Esculent Oxystelma. Clt. 1816. Shrub tw. 



2 O. WALLICHII (Wight, contrib. ind. bot. p. 54.) leaves 

 narrow, linear -lanceolate ; margins of corolla ciliated ; follicles 

 short, oval, obtuse. J? . ^. S. Native of the East Indies, on 

 the banks of the Ganges and Irawaddi ; and of the province of 

 Tanjore, near Pathacottah. This is very nearly allied to O. 

 esculentum, only differing in the sharper and shorter follicles. 



Wallicli's Oxystelma. Shrub tw. 



3 O. CARNOSUM (R. Br. prod. 462.) leaves fleshy, suboval, 

 mucronate, glabrous ; fascicles of flowers umbel- formed, pe- 

 dunculate ; segments of corolla linear. Jj . l ^ > . S. Native of 

 New Holland, within the tropic. This species differs consider- 

 ably from the rest, both in the form of the corolla, and in that 

 of its corona. 



Fleshy-]ea\ed Oxystelma. Shrub tw. 



4 O. ZIPPELIA'NUM (Blum, bijdr. p. 1053.) leaves narrow- 

 linear-lanceolate, cuspidate, smoothish ; peduncles 2-3-flowered 

 at the apex ; corolla having the base and margin bearded. 



Tj . ^\ S. Native of Java, about Batavia, collected in the gar- 

 dens of Zippeli. 



Zippeli's Oxystelma. Fl. Oct. Shrub tw. 



5 O. HOOPERIA'NITM (Blum, bijdr. p. 1053.) leaves cordate, 

 acuminated, smoothish ; fascicles many-flowered ; corolla gla- 

 brous. T? . ^.S. Native of Java, about Kuripan, in the garden 

 of James Hooper ; and at the foot of Mount Salak, where it 

 is called Aroy tjapu tuhur. 



Hooper's Oxystelma. Fl. year. Shrub tw. 



6 O. BORNOUE'NSE (R. Br. in append, to Clapp. and Denh. 

 trav. p. 34.) flowers racemose ; segments of corolla semi-ovate; 

 follicles inflated ; leaves lanceolate, cordate at base. Pj . / ~ > . G. 

 Native of north Africa, in Bornou. This species differs from 

 0. esculenta in the inflated follicles, and in the leaves being 

 cordate at the base. 



Bornou Oxystelma. PI. tw. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Oxypelalum, p. 148. 



XLVII. IPHI'SIA (meaning unknown to us). Wight and 

 Arnott, contrib. ind. bot. p. 52. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Dygynia. Corolla rotate, 5-cleft. 

 Stamineous corona 5-leaved ; leaflets fleshy, suddenly narrowed 

 to the apex. Anthers terminated by a membrane ; pollen mas- 

 ses ventricose, fixed by their tops to the extremities of ascend- 

 ing, filiform appendiculi, or retinacula, pendulous. Stigma 

 mutic. Follicles smooth, attenuated at the apex, glabrous. 

 Seeds comose. Erectish or twining herbs or subshrubs. Leaves 

 opposite. Flowers small. Umbels interpetiolar, simple, ag- 

 gregate, or almost sessile at the bends of the peduncles. This 

 genus is very nearly related to Tylophora, both in habit and 

 structure of the flowers, but is separated on account of the truly 

 pendulous pollen masses. 



1 I. MULTIFLORA (Wight and Arnott, 1. c.) suffruticose, twin- 

 ing, glabrous ; leaves oval, cuspidately-acuminated, petiolate ; 

 umbels sessile at the flexures of the common peduncle, disposed 

 alternately ; segments of corolla short ; retinacula or appendi- 

 culi elongated, bent upwards at the base and downwards at the 

 apex, fj . r ^. G. Native of the Neelghery mountains. 



Many-flowered Iphisia. Shrub tw. 



2 I. GOVA'NII (Wight, contrib. ind. bot. p. 52.) erectish ; 

 leaves almost sessile from broad, oval, acuminated, to lanceolate 

 acute ; umbels simple, aggregate, few-flowered ; pedicels as 

 long as the peduncles ; segments of corolla lanceolate, glabrous 

 inside and hairy outside ; retinacula or appendiculi short, at first 

 erectish. 1? . G. Native of the Himalaiah. 



