346 



P IT 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



P L A 



the coast of Suffolk, about Orford and Aldborough, supported 

 themselves with it for some time. This story is retailed by 

 Stow and Camden, with the addition, that they were supposed 

 to spring up opportunely in that year of dearth, from a ship- 

 wrecked vessel laden with Peas ; whereas the Sea Pea differs 

 from all the varieties of the garden or field Pea, in the length 

 and continuance of its roots, the smallness and bitterness of 

 its seed, and the whole habit and appearance of the plant. 

 It had probably grown a long time unobserved on Orford 

 beach, till extreme want called it into public notice. The 

 seed is so bitter that it would not be eaten, except in a want 

 of better food, for it is neglected by the very birds : but the 

 legend of its miraculous appearance in a time of scarcity, is 

 still believed by many good people. It may be propagated 

 by seeds or by the roots, and, though a native of the sea- 

 coast, is easily cultivated in gardens. 



3. Pisum Ochrus; Yellow-flowered Pea. Petioles decur- 

 rent, membranaceous, two-leaved: peduncles one-flowered. 

 Root annual; stalk angular, nearly three feet high; flowers 

 pale yellow, small; pods two inches long, containing five or 

 six roundish seeds, a little compressed on their sides; these 

 may be eaten green, but, unless they are gathered very young, 

 they are coarse, and at best not so good as the. common Pea, 

 like which it is cultivated. Native of Italy, Spain, &c. 



Pitcairnia; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: one-leafed, three- 

 parted, half superior, tubular, swelling at the base, perma- 

 nent; segments lanceolate, erect. Corolla: three-petalled ; 

 petals linear, convoluted, with a nectariferous scale at the 

 base. Stamina: filamenta six, inserted into the receptacle; 

 anther oblong, erect. Pistil: germen half superior, three- 

 cornered ; style three-grooved ; stigmas three, contorted. 

 Pericarp: capsules three, opening inwards. (L'Heritier says, 

 three-cornered, tricoccous, opening inwards three ways : 

 Swartz says, t'hee-celled, with the seeds opening inwards.) 

 Seeds: very numerous, winged, or membranaceous-appen- 

 dicled on both sides, fastened to the receptacle. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Calix: three-leaved or three-parted, 

 half superior. Corolla: three-petalled, with a scale at the 

 base of each petal. Stigmas: three, contorted. Capsules: 

 three, opening inwards. Seeds: winged. The species are, 



1. Pitcairnia Bromelieefolia; Scarlet Pitcairnia. Leaves 

 ciliate-spiny ; peduncles and germina very smooth. Root 

 perennial, with long, filiform, subdivided, fibres; stem none; 

 stalk central, erect, two or three feet high; petals and fila- 

 menta blood-red. It flowers in June. -Native of Jamaica, on 

 the shady sides and precipices of the mountains. 



2. Pitcairnia Angustifolia; Narrow-leaved Pitcairnia. 

 Leaves ciliate, spiny ; peduncles and germina tomentose. 

 Native of the island of Santa Cruz. 



3. Pitcairnia Latifolia; Broad-leaved Pitcairnia. Leaves 

 quite entire, somewhat spiny at the base. It flowers in 

 August. Native of the West Indies. 



Pittosporum; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five- 

 leaved, inferior, deciduous. Corolla: petals five; claws con- 

 cave, converging into a pitcher-shaped tube; borders ovate- 

 oblong, spreading. Stamina: filamenta five, inserted with 

 the receptacle, alternate with the petals, the length of the 

 claws, linear, compressed; antheree incumbent, arrow-shaped, 

 simple. Pistil: germen superior, roundish; style filiform ; 

 stigma obtuse. Pericarp: capsule subglobnlar-angular, mu- 

 cronate, three-celled, three-valved; cells flowing with a liquid 

 resin; partitions contrary to the valves. Seeds: three or four 

 in each cell, angular, fastened to the partition. ESSENTIAL 

 CHARACTER. Calix: deciduous. Petals: five, converging 



into a tube. Capsule : two to five valved, two to five celled. 

 Seeds : covered with a pulp. The species are, 



1. Pittosporum Coriaceum; Thick-leaved Pitch-seed. 

 Leaves obovate, obtuse, very smooth, coriaceous; capsules 

 two-valved. This is a green-house shrub, flowering in May: 

 the stem is six or eight feet high, bushy, with round, finely 

 downy branches, leafy at their summits; leaves crowded, 

 alternate, remarkably coriaceous, of a fine green; flowers on 

 umbelled pedicels, the length of the peduncle, tomentose, 

 powerfully fragrant, like Jasmine, but of short duration. 

 Native of the Canary Islands. 



2. Pittosporum Ferrugineum; Rusty Pitch-seed. Leaves 

 elliptical, taper-pointed, smooth; footstalks clothed with rusty 

 down; calix equally divided to the base. Stem shrubby, 

 slender; flowers numerous, small, white. Found in New 

 Guinea and the Molucca isles. 



3. Pittosporum Undulatum ; Wave-leaved Pitch-feed. 

 Leaves elliptical, pointed, smooth, waved at the margin; foot- 

 stalks nearly smooth; calix five-toothed, split on one side to 

 the base. A green-house shrub, flowering from April to June; 

 flowers white, fragrant, in solitary, nearly simple, sessile 

 umbels. Native of New South Wales. 



Plagianthus; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order 

 Dodecandria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth 

 five-cleft, short; segments very small. Corolla: petals five, 

 ovate, two closer together, more remote than the rest. Sta- 

 mina: filamenta collected into a cylinder; antherse about 

 twelve, ovate, clustered on the top of the cylinder. Pistil: 

 germen ovate, very small: style filiform, concealed within the 

 tube of the stamina; stigma club-shaped. Pericarp: berry. 

 ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-cleft. Petals: five, 



two approximating, remote from the other three. The only 



known species is, 



1. Plagianthus Divaricatus. A shrub, with alternate, 

 smooth, slender branches, clothed with a smooth, shining, 

 purplish brown bark. Native of New Zealand. 



Plane Tree. See Platanus. 



Plantago; a. genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth four-cleft, 

 erect, very short, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled, perma- 

 nent, shrivelling; tube cylinclric, globular; border four-cleft, 

 reflex; segments ovate-acute. Stamina: filamenta four, 

 capillary, erect, very long; antheree somewhat oblong, com- 

 pressed, incumbent. Pistil: germen ovate; style filiform, 

 shorter by half than the stamina; stigma simple. Pericarp: 

 capsule ovate, two-celled, opening transversely, having a loose 

 partition. Seeds: several, or solitary, oblong. Observe. The 

 calix in some species is irregular, in others regular. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four-cleft. Corolla: four-cleft, 

 with the border reflex. Stamina: very long. Capsule: two- 

 celled, cut transversely. Plants of this genus are seldom to 

 be seen, except in Botanic Gardens: the greater number are 

 hardy enough to bear the open air in our climate. They 

 rise easily from seeds, of which they produce great abun- 

 dance, and require no nicety in the cultivation. Some, how- 

 ever, must be screened from frost. The species are, 



1. Plantago Major \Great Plantain, or Way-bread. Leaves 

 ovate, smoothish, shorter than the petiole; scape round; 

 spike having the florets imbricate; seeds very many. There 

 are several varieties. The root when old is the thickness of 

 the thumb, prsemorse, bitten ofF, or stumped, laying hold of 

 the earth by its fibres, which strike deeply, and are whitish. 

 The leaves have a weak herbaceous smell, and an austere 

 bitterish subsaline taste ; their qualities are said to be refri- 

 gerant, attenuating, substyptic, and diuretic. It was formerly 

 reckoned among the most efficacious vulnerary herbs, and the 



