ASCLEPIADEJi. XLVIII. PESTATROPIS. XLIX. RAPHISTEMMA. L. UBOSTELMA. LI. ANAVTHERDC. 



145 



Gotan's Iphisia. Shrub or herb. ? 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Calotropis, p. 147. 



XLVIII. PENTA'TROPIS (from xtvrt, penle, five, and 

 rpenric, trapis, a keel). R. Br. in Salt. trav. append, ex Wight 

 and Arnott, contrib. ind. bot. p. 52. Asclepias microphylla, 

 Roxb. 



Liv. STST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Corolla rotate, 5-cleft. 

 Stamineous corona 5-leaved; leaflets opposite the anthers, ad- 

 nate vertically to the gynostegium, averse, loose or free at apex ; 

 pollen masses ventricose, pendulous, fixed beneath their tops. 

 Stigma mutic. Follicles smooth. Seeds comose. Twining 

 subshrubs. Leaves rather fleshy, flat. Umbels interpetiolar, 

 few-flowered, almost sessile. Follicles obsoletely trigonal, flat- 

 rish on one side. 



1 P. MICROPHY'LLA (Wight and Arnott, 1. c.) twining, gla- 

 brous ; leaves rather fleshy, ovate, mucronate, rounded at the base 

 or subcordate; umbels almost sessile, fe w- flowered ; pedicels 

 long-filiform ; calyx minute ; corolla spreadingly reflexed ; 

 segments acute ; leaflets of corona broad, averse at the base, 

 cuspidate and incurved at the apex, equal to the gynostegium. 

 ^ . /> . S. Native of Coromandel and Bengal, on argillaceous 

 banks of rivers : particularly the river called Yamuna, in 

 Bengal. Asclepias microphylla, Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 35. 

 Schultes, syst. 6. p. 85. Asclep. tenuiflora, Roxb. mus. ind. 

 or. t. 610. Oxystelma caudata, Ham. herb. Wall. ascl. no. 

 110. Asclep. alexiaca, Jacq. may be this plant, but the figure 

 in Rheed. mal. 9. t. 13., to which he refers his plant, has no 

 affinity with this. Roxburgh supposes that synonyme to be 

 Tylophora asthrndtica, but there are many obvious reasons 

 against that affinity. 



Small-leared Pentatropis. Shrub tw. 



2 P. CTXASCHOIDES (R. Br. in append, to Salt, trav.) ^ . 

 *"\ G. Native of Abyssinia. We know nothing of this plant 

 but the name. 



Cynanchum-like Pentatropis. Shrub tw. 



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



XLIX. RAPHISTEMMA (from fajts, raphis, a needle, 



and artfifia, stemma, a crown ; in reference to the narrow, elon- 

 gated leaflets of the corona). Wall. pi. asiat. rar. 2. p. 40. t. 

 163. Wight and Arn. contrib. ind. bot. p. 54. Asclepias pul- 

 chella, Roxb. 



Lis. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Corolla campanulate ; 

 limb 5-parted : staminal corona 5-leaved : leaflets compressed, 

 elongated. Anthers terminated by a membrane ; pollen masses 

 fixed beneath their apexes, pendulous. Stigma bluntly conical. 

 Follicles solitary by abortion, somewhat ventricose. Seeds 

 comose. A glabrous twining shrub. Leaves largish, cordate. 

 Flowers white, corymbose. Corona exserted, equal to the limb 

 of the corolla. This genus, Dr. Wallich suggests, is very nearly 

 allied to Kanahia, the difference appearing more in habit and 

 country than any character afforded bv the flower. 



1 R'. PCLCHE LLUM (Wall. 1. c. t. 163.). 2 . ^. S. Native 

 of Silhet, Gualpara, Tavoy, Pegu, near Rangoon. Asclepias 

 pulchella, Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 54. Pergularia ? campanulata, 

 Hamilt. herb. Flowers large. 



\eat Raphistemma. Shrub tw. 



Cull. For culture and propagation see Oxypetalum, p. 148. 



L. UROSTE'LMA (from ovpa, oura, a tail, and tmXfia, 

 ttelma, a crown : in reference to the tails of the gynostegium). 

 Bunge, in mem. acad. petersb. 2. p. 118. 



LIN. STSI. Pentdndria, Digynia. Calyx 5-parted ; with 



lanceolate, acute segments. Corolla campanulate, deeply 5- 



cleft ; segments villous inside, and at lenyth revolute. Corona 



simple, shortly 5-lobed : lobes obtuse ; gynostegium furnished 



VOL. IT. 



with 5 membranous processes, and each of these processes is 

 furnished with a long filiform appendage, which is pentagonal at 

 the base. Pollen masses twin, solid, pendulous. Follicles 

 muricated. Seeds comose. A scandent or twining plant. 

 Leaves cordate, waved, acuminated. Racemes axillary, pedun- 

 culate. Flowers pale, dirty reddish white. 



1 U. CHINB'NSE (Bunge, 1. c.). ^ . ^. G. Native of China. 



China Urostelma. PI. tw. 



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



LI. ANA'NTHERIX (from a, priv. and avQtpit, anlherix, 

 an awn ; there are no horn-formed processes from the base of the 

 leaflets of the corona, as in Asclepias). Nutt. gen. amer. 1. 

 p. 169. and in amer. phil. soc. trans. 5. p. 201 Asclepias spe- 

 cies of authors. 



Lix. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Corolla subcampanulate, 

 5-cleft. Corona simple, 5-lobed; lobes compressed, empty 

 inside (not furnished with a horn-formed process, as in Ascle- 

 pias), incurved, furnished with a little segment inside, longer than 

 the gynostegium, which is sometimes pedicellate. The rest as in 

 Asclepias. Erect, herbaceous plants. Leaves alternate or 

 opposite, sometimes subverticillate, and the axils sometimes 

 spinulose. Flowers large, umbellate, or panicled, terminal. 

 Follicles muricated or smooth. This genus is very nearly allied 

 to Calotropis, but differs essentially in the insertion of the 

 corona, and in the form and character of its segments. 



SECT. I. LEPISTE'LJIA (from Xeric, lepis, a scale ; and 

 ttelma, a crown ; in reference to the scales inside the corona). 

 Segments of corona furnished each with a little scale or seg- 

 ment inside. Gynostegium sessile. Follicles usually muri- 

 cated. 



1 A. VIRIDIS (Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 169. amer. phil. soc. 

 trans. 5. p. 201.) leaves opposite, sessile, obovate-oblong, mu- 

 cronulate, smoothish ; umbels cauline, subpanicled, few-flow- 

 ered ; segments of corona very long. If. H. Native of the 

 Arkansas territory, in damp pine barrens, near St. Mary's ; and 

 Carolina. Asclepias viridis ? Walt, fl. car. p. 107. Ascl. con- 

 nivens. Baldw. in Ell. sketch, p. 320. Podostigma viridis, 11. 

 sketch. 327. Gomphocarpus viridis, Spreng. syst. 1. p. 849. 

 Corolla green. Corona purplish ; fructification white. 



Green-flowered Anantherix. Fl. Aug. Sept. Clt. 1812. 

 PI | to 1 foot. 



2 A. PANICULA'TUS (Nutt. in amer. phil. soc. trans. 5. p. 203.) 

 leaves scattered, ovate-oblong, bluntish, mucronulate ; umbels 

 divided, subpanicled ; corona one half shorter than the corolla ; 

 follicles muricated. If. . H. Native of the Arkansas territory, 

 in cedar swamps, near Fort Smith ; and also near the Red 

 river. Asclepias viridis, Walt. fl. carol, p. 137. Pursb, fl. 1. 

 p. 1 83. Stem angular. Leaves scabrous on the margins, 4-5 

 inches long, and 1-1-| broad. Umbels several, terminal. Co- 

 rolla yellowish-green. Corona variegated with purple and white. 



Panided-Qoveered Anantherix. PL 1 to 2 feet. 



3 A. DECC'MBESS (Nutt. 1. c.) leaves scattered, nearly oppo- 

 site, ovate-lanceolate, very long, acute ; umbels nearly globose, 

 terminal ; corona about equal in length to the corolla. 1 . H. 

 Native of the Arkansas territory, on dry hills, near the con- 

 fluence of the Kiamesha with the Red river. Stem rather an- 

 gular, 1 to 1-i inches long. Leaves scabrous on the edges, 

 Umbels solitary. Peduncles downy. Corolla greenish. Co- 

 rona brownish. Follicles muricated. 



Decumbent Anantherix. PI. decumbent. 



SECT. II. STYLA'NDRA (from trruXof, stylos, a column, and 

 aTjp avcpoc, aner andros, a male ; in reference to the gynos- 

 tegium being pedicellate). Nutt. in amer. phil. soc. trans. 5. 

 p. 203. Segments of corona destitute of the little segment 



