ASCLEPIADE^E. LIII. CALOTROPIS. LIV. OXYPETALCM. 



147 



tegium, acuminated at the base and recurved, but bipartite and 

 spreading at the apex, fj . S. Native of the East Indies, in 

 various parts. C. proeera, Ham. in Lin. trans. 14. p. 426. 

 exclusive of the synonyms. Wall. ascl. no. 92. Asclepias 

 Madare, Hort. bot. calc. The Persian C. procera is quite dis- 

 tinct from the Indian one. 



Hamilton's Calotropis. Shrub 6 to 10 feet. 



4 C. WALLICHII (Wight. 1. c.) segments of corolla spreading; 

 leaflets of corona exceeding the gynostegium, obtuse at the 

 base, and recurved, but incurvedly 2-lobed above the stigma at 

 the apex. 1? . S. Native of the East Indies, at Melloon. C. 

 gigantea, Wall. ascl. no. 91. b. In addition to the above marks 

 of distinction, this differs in habit from all the preceding spe- 

 cies ; the flowers are in loose, long-peduncled panicles, in place 

 of contracted cymes or umbels. 



Wallklis Calotropis. Shrub. 



5 C. HETEROPHY'LLA (Wall. ascl. no. 91. a.) segments of 

 corolla erectish ; leaflets of corona equal in length to the gynos- 

 tegium, obtuse and recurved at the base, having the margins 

 lying on the top of the stigma, 2-lobed : lobes thickish, sub- 

 diverging. ^ . S. Native on the banks of the Irrawaddi. 

 The flowers are smaller than in other species, and are disposed 

 in small, compact, long-peduncled umbels. 



Various-leaved Calotropis. Shrub. 



2. Leaves petiolate, cuneate, or elliptic'oblong. 



6 C. SUSSUE'LA ; succulent and smooth ; leaves petiolate> 

 oblong, acuminated ; umbels few-flowered ; corolla flat, fleshy ; 

 corona short. Tj . S. Native of the Moluccas. Asclepias 

 Sussuela, Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 31. Corona Ariadnes, Rumph. 

 amb. 5. t. 182. Corolla nearly 3 inches in diameter when 

 fully expanded, ex Roxb. 



Sussuela Calotropis. Shrub. 



7 C. HERBA'CEA ; herbaceous, erect, smooth ; leaves petio- 

 late, oblong ; umbels compound ; corolla with a globular tube, 

 which incloses the corona ; segments or petals triangular, spread- 

 ing ; leaflets of corona shorter than the gynostegium, acute, 

 and spreadingly recurved at the base, but tridentate at the apex, 

 and lying upon the gynostegium. If. . S. Native of the inte- 

 rior parts of Bengal. Padmarka, Jones, asiat. res. 4. p. 267. 

 Stems nearly simple. Young shoots green. Leaves pale green, 

 paler beneath, furnished with a few bristly glands on the middle 

 nerve on the upper side at the base. Peduncles longer than 

 the pedicels, mixed with subulate bracteas. Flowers large, 

 a mixture of purple, red, and white Very like C. gigantea. 

 Root woody. 



Herbaceous Calotropis. PI. 2 to 3 feet. 



Cult- All the species of Calotropis bear handsome, large 

 flowers, and on that account are worth cultivating in every col- 

 lection of stove plants. A mixture of loam, sand, and peat, is a 

 good soil for them ; and young cuttings, thinly planted in a pot 

 filled with sand, strike root freely under a hand-glass, in heat. 

 If care is not taken with them, they are very liable to rot, as the 

 least injury causes them to decay. 



LIV. OXYPE'TALUM (from oe, oxys, sharp, and TrtraXov, 

 petalon, a petal ; in reference to the long, sharp-pointed petals). 

 R. Br. mem. wern. soc. 1. p. 41. H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. 

 amer. 3. p. 197. Mart. nov. gen. bras. 1. p. 48. Gothofreda, 

 Vent, choix. p. 7. t. 60. 



Lix. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Corolla with a short ven- 

 tricose tube, and a 5-parted limb (f. 19. c.); segments ligulate 

 at top (f. 19. c.). Stamineous corona 5-leaved ; leaflets roundish, 

 simple, fleshy (f.19./.). Anthers terminated by a membrane; pol- 

 len masses linear, pendulous, fixed to the curvitures of the pro- 

 cesses, at length ascending. Stigma terminated by an elongated, 

 bipartite acumen (f.!9.e.). Follicles unknown. Twining shrubs, 



FIG. 19. 



natives of South America. Leaves opposite. Umbels inter- 

 petiolar, subcorymbose or cymose. Flowers sweet-scented. 



' Tnining shrubs. 



1 O. BA'NKSII (Schultes, syst. 6. p. 91. Mart. nov. gen. 

 bras. 1. p. 48. t. 29.) twining; leaves ovate-cordate, downy; 

 peduncles many-flowered, subcorymbose ; segments of corolla 

 linear-lanceolate, acuminated, reflexed ; leaflets of corona round- 

 ish ; retinacula of anthers naked at top. fj . ^. S. Native of 

 Brazil, near Rio Janeiro, where it was first discovered by Sir 

 Joseph Banks in 1768. Corolla yellowish, or cream-coloured; 

 segments much longer than the tube. 



Banks'* Oxypetalum. Shrub tw. 



2 O. APPENDICULA\UM (Mart. I.e. p. 48. t. 30.) twining; 

 leaves ovate, acuminated, cordate, downy ; peduncles cymose, 

 usually 4-flowered ; segments of corolla narrow-lanceolate, 

 acute, erectly spreading ; leaflets of corona roundish ; retina- 

 cula of anthers furnished with a membranous appendage at 

 apex. I? . ^. S. Native of Brazil, in the province of Minas 

 Geraes, among bushes, near Lagoa, between St. Joao d'El Rey 

 and Villa Rica. Flowers pale yellow. 



Appendiculate-Qovrered Oxypetalum. Clt. 1823. Sh. tw. 



3 O. RIPA'RIUM (H. B. et 

 Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 3. p. 

 154. t. 231. Mart. 1. c. p. 49.) 

 twining ; leaves ovate, cordate, 

 acuminated, downy ; peduncles 

 2-6 - flowered, subcorymbose ; 

 segments of corolla long-linear ; 

 leaflets of corona emarginately 

 2-lobed ; retinacula of anthers 

 naked at top. Tj . ^. S. Na- 

 tive of New Granada, on the 

 banks of the river Mayo, near 

 Mamendoy ; Mexico at Misan- 

 tla ; also of Brazil, in the pro- 

 vince of Minas Geraes, near St. 

 Joao Baptista. Corollas cream- 

 coloured, or pale yellow, (f. 19.) 



River-side Oxypetalum. Shrub tw. 



4 O. MONTA'NCM (Mart. 1. c. p. 49.) twining ; leaves lanceo- 

 late, acute, petiolate ; peduncles many-flowered, cymose ; petals 

 linear, erect, reflexed at top ; leaflets of corona acute ; retina- 

 cula of anthers sagittately dilated at top. T? . ^. S. Native of 

 Brazil, on the top of Mount Itambe da Villa do Principe. 

 Flowers cream-coloured. 



Mountain Oxypetalum. Shrub tw. 



5 O. BERTERIA'NUM (Spreng. syst. 1. p. 850. add. p. 111.) 

 leaves elliptic, mucronate, downy ; cymes lateral, crowded ; 

 flowers small. I? . *"\ S.. Native of New Granada, Bertero. 



Bertero's Oxypetalum. Shrub tw. 



6 O. MEGAPOTA'MICUM (Spreng. syst. add. p. 111.) twining; 

 leaves cordate-lanceolate, acuminated, smooth ; peduncles cy- 

 mose, clothed with hoary down. ^ ^ S. Native of Brazil, 

 at Rio Grande. 



Rio Grande Oxypetalum. Shrub tw. 



7 O. GOTHOFRE'DA (Schultes, syst. 6. p. 92.) twining ; leaves 

 cordate, ovate, tomentose ; racemes few-flowered, axillary and 

 terminal ; segments of corolla lanceolate, acute, 4 times longer 

 than the tube, fj . '"\ S. Native of New Spain, at Santa Fe 

 de Bogota. Gothofreda cordifblia, Vent, choix, p. 7. t. 60. 

 Glands solitary at the base of the petioles. 



Golliofreda's Oxypetalum. Shrub tw. 



* Erect shrubs. 



B O. FOLIOSUU (Mart. 1. c. p. 50.) villous ; stems erect, her- 

 u 2 



