272 



PER 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



PER 



5. Perdicium Tomentosum. Leaves lyrate, tomentose 

 underneath. This is a small, stemless, herbaceous plant. 

 It flowers in April and May. Native of Japan. 



6. Perdicium Laevigatum. Stem rather shrubby; leaves 

 stalked, lanceolate, entire, fringed; flower-stalks terminal, 

 mostly in pairs. Native of Porto Bello. 



Pergularia; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Digy- 

 nia, or rather Gynandria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: 

 perianth one-leafed, five-cleft, upright, acute, permanent. 

 Corolla: one-petalled, salver-shaped; tube cylindrical, longer 

 than the calix; border five-parted, flat, with oblong segments; 

 nectaries five, . semi sagittate, erect, compressed, attenuated 

 into a dagger point, curved inwards, with a nodding tooth 

 at the outer base. Stamina : filamenta not ascertained ; 

 antheroe two to each gland, curved upwards, divaricating, 

 obovate, pellucid, yellow, with scarcely any discernible 

 pollen; tubercles (glands) five, immersed in the stigma. 

 Pistil; germina two, ovate, acuminate; styles none, (two, 

 very short, united, villose ; stigmas obsolete, according to 

 Smith.) Pericarp: follicles two. Seed: not ascertained. 

 ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Contorted. Nectary: surround- 

 ing the genitals with five sagittated cups. Corolla: salver- 

 shaped. The species are, 



1. Pergularia Glabra; Smooth Pergularia. Leaves ovate, 

 acute, smooth ; stem shrubby ; peduncles axillary, subdi- 

 vided, alternate. Native of the East Indies. 



2. Pergularia Edulis ; Eatable Pergularia. Leaves ovate, 

 acuminate, smooth ; stem herbaceous. Native of the Cape. 



3. Pergularia Odoratissima ; Sweet-scented. Pergularia, or 

 Chinese Creeper. Leaves heart-shaped, nearly smooth ; nec- 

 tary and genitals shorter than the tube of the corolla ; stigma 

 conical, obtuse. Root branching, much spreading, whitish ; 

 stem shrubby, twining, branched, round ; flowers the size 

 of the Primrose, pale yellowish green, with a sweet lemon- 

 like smell, especially in the evening. There is a variety of 

 this with somewhat rounder leaves, and more tawny flowers. 

 It is cultivated for its agreeable fragrance in the gardens of 

 the East Indies. Its native place is uncertain. It thrives 

 either in, a stove or warm conservatory, flowering throughout 

 the summer and autumn. 



4. Pergularia Purpurea; Purple Pergularia. Leaves 

 heart-shaped, smooth ; segments of the corolla linear, oblong, 

 smooth ; umbels proliferous ; branches twining, slender, ash- 

 coloured, appearing villose when examined by a glass. 

 Native of the East Indies and of China. 



5. Pergularia Japonica. Leaves heart-shaped, smooth; 

 segments of the corolla ovate, villose within ; umbels simple. 

 Stem twining, round, smooth, simple ; flowers axillary ; pedun- 

 cles erect. Native of Japan, where it flowers in August. 



Perilla; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Gymno- 

 spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one- 

 leafed, upright, half five-cleft; segments equal, the upper- 

 most very short, permanent. Corolla : onc-petalled, irregu- 

 lar, four-cleft ; upper segment emarginate ; lateral ones 

 spreading ; lowest longer, blunt. Stamina : filamenta four, 

 simple, distant, shorter than the corolla ; antherae bifid. 

 Pistil: germina four; styles two, filiform, connected, the 

 length of the stamina; stigmas simple. Pericarp: calix 

 unchanged. Seeds: four. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: 

 uppermost segment very short. Stamina : distant. Styles : 

 two, connected. The species are, 



1. Perilla Ocymoides. Leaves ovate, almost naked, ser- 

 rate, on petioles the length of the leaves ; racemes lateral, 

 and terminating, rough-haired, upright; flowers small, white, 

 solitary, or by threes, rough-haired in the calix, with 

 leafy bractes longer than the flower. Annual. The whole 



plant has a strong balmy fragrance. Native of the East 

 Indies. 



Periploca; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Digy- 

 nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-cleft, 

 very small ; segments ovate, permanent. Corolla : one-petal- 

 led, wheel-shaped, five-parted ; segments oblong, linear, trun- 

 cated, emarginate ; nectary very small, five-cleft, surround- 

 ing the genitals, putting out five threads, curved inwards, 

 shorter than the corolla, and alternate with it. Stamina : 

 filamenta short, curved inwards, converging, villose; antheree 

 twin, acuminate, converging over the stigma, with lateral 

 cells; pollen-bags five at the notches of the stigma, each 

 common to two antheree. Pistil: germina two, ovate, approxi- 

 mating ; styles uniting at top ; stigma capitate, convex, 

 five-cornered, with the corners notched. Pericarp : follicles 

 two, large, oblong, ventricose, one-celled, one-valved, glued 

 together at the tip. Seeds : very many, imbricated, crowned 

 with a down. Receptacle : longitudinal, filiform. Observe. 

 The character is taken from the first species. ESSENTIAL 

 CHARACTER. Nectary: encircling the genitals, and putting 

 forth five threads. The species are, 



1. Periploca Grseca ; Common Periploca. Flowers inter- 

 nally hirsute, terminating ; leaves ovate, acute. Stems 

 shrubby, twining round any support, more than forty feet in 

 height, covered with a dark bark, and sending out slender 

 branches, which twine round each other. The flowers come 

 out towards the ends of the small branches in bunches, and 

 are of a purple colour. It flowers in July and August, but 

 rarely ripens seed in England. Native of hedges and thickets 

 in the Levant. This is easily propagated by laying down 

 the branches, which will put out roots in one year, and may 

 then be cut from the old plant, and planted where they are 

 to remaia. These may be transplanted either in autumn 

 when the leaves begin to fall, or in the spring before they 

 begin to shoot, and must be planted where they may have 

 support ; otherwise they will trail on the ground, and fasten 

 themselves about whatever plants are near them. 



2. Periploca Secamone ; Green Periploca. Flowers inter- 

 nally hirsute, panicled ; leaves lanceolate, elliptic ; flowers 

 small. Said to be a native of Egypt, but U is uncertain. 



3. Periploca Leevigata ; Smooth Periploca. Corollas 

 smooth, with blunt segments ; cymes trichotomous ; leaves 

 oblong, lanceolate, veined, even. Stem smooth ; corolla 

 greenish yellow within. Native of the Canary Islands. 



4. Periploca Angustifolia ; Narrow-leaved Periploca. Co- 

 rollas smooth ; segments emarginate ; cymes trichotomous ; 

 leaves lanceolate, vetnless, even. Stem smooth ; segments 

 of the corolla more produced on one side, purple, within the 

 edges pale yellow, with a whitish subtomentose dot toward 

 the middle. Native of various parts near the Mediterranean, 

 as on Mount Shibel Ischel in the territories of Tunis. 



5. Periploca Esculenta; Esculent Periploca. Corollas 

 smooth, wheel-shaped ; racemes axillary ; leaves linear-lan- 

 ceolate, veined. Root filiform, fibrous; stems and branches 

 numerous, twining, round, smooth, running over bushes of 

 considerable size ; flowers large, beautiful white, with a small 

 tinge of the Rose, and striated with purple veins, inodorous. 

 Native of the East Indies, where it grows in hedges and 

 among bushes, on the banks of water-courses, pools, &c. 

 casts its leaves during the dry season, and is in flower and 

 foliage during the rainy season. Cattle eat it. From its 

 elegant flowers, it deserves to be introduced into the flower- 

 garden. 



6. Periploca Emetica; Emetic Periploca. Corollas smooth; 

 corymbs few-flowered, axillary; leaves linear-lanceolate, vein- 

 less. Stem shrubby, with diffused rod-like even branches. 



