MESEMBRYANTHEMUM 



MESEMBRYANTHEMUM 2041 



A. EPAPULOSA: Plant not bearing glittering papillas or 



projections (species 1-35). 



B. Plant stemless or nearly so. 



c. Lvs. 2, minute, united into a globe. 



1. minimum, Haw. Stemless, when cult, often some- 

 what caulescent, obconical, with confluent rather 

 branched dots: fls. whitish; petals connate at base; 

 ovary exserted. G. 1:437. 



cc. Lvs. distinct. 

 D. Fls. yellow (Nos. 2-12). 



E. Lvs. 4~6, semi-terete at the base, thickening and triquet- 

 rous at the apex. 



2. tigrinum, Haw. TIGER'S JAW. Stemless or essen- 

 tially so: Ivs. cordate-ovate, 2 in. or less long, glacuous 

 green and marbled with white, the upturning edges 

 with long, soft, ciliated teeth, the keel entire: fls. 

 nearly sessile, large, yellow. B.R. 260. Gng. 16:227. 

 G.L. 19:138; 27:226. A.F. 30:376. 



3. felinum, Haw. Fig. 2364. Lvs. triquetrous, rhom- 

 boid-lanceolate, 2 in. or less long, but narrower than in 

 the last, somewhat glaucous, faintly dotted with white, 

 the edges with 8 ciliate teeth; keel entire: fls. nearly 

 sessile, yellow. 



EE. Lvs. 4~6, triquetrous, thickened from the base to the 

 middle, but tapering to the apex. 



4. albinatum, Haw. Stemless: Ivs. curved-triquet- 

 rous upward, with a recurved mucro or spine at the 

 apex, bearing elevated whitish dots: fls. sessile, yellow. 



EEE. Lvs. half-cylindrical, of various sizes or forms on 

 the same plant, in alternate pairs. 



5. angustum, Haw. Nearly or quite stemless, small: 

 Ivs. 2-ranked, linear, tongue-shaped, long, keeled at the 

 apex, somewhat unequal, one of them straight-acute 

 and the other hooked: fls. nearly sessile, yellow. 



6. bigibberatum, Haw. Rather caulescent: Ivs. 

 small, scarcely tongue-shaped, very smooth, usually 

 with 2 gibbosities, subequal, one attenuated and acute, 

 the other keeled-dilated, obtuse at the apex: petals 

 denticulate. 



7. Salmii, Haw. Nearly stemless: Ivs. decussate, 

 attenuate, one acute, the other oblique and blunt, 6-8, 

 with a white spot at the inside of base: fls. sessile. 



EEEE. Lvs. tongue - shaped, 

 with one margin thicker 

 than the other, of two or 

 more forms, 2-ranked. 



F. Peduncle less than 1 in. 

 long. 



8. linguaeforme, Haw. 

 Lvs. unequally tongue- 

 shaped, deflexed and some- 

 what falcate, becoming de- 

 pressed when old, flattish 

 above, obliquely attenuate: 

 fls. yellow. Index Kewensis 

 makes the M. linguseforme 

 of Haworth synonymous 

 with M. obliquum, Willd., 

 and uses Linnaeus' M. lingui- 

 forme as a tenable name. 



9. uncatum, Salm-Dyck. 

 Nearly stemless: Ivs. nar- 

 row tongue-shaped, 2J^ in. 

 long, thick, incurvate-unci- 

 nate at apex: fls. yellow; 

 petals revolute. 



FF. Peduncle 1 in. or more 

 long. 



10. cultratum, Salm- 

 Dyck. Lvs. 2-ranked, thick, 



tongue-shaped and curved like a pruning-knife, blunt at 

 the apex : fls. yellow, on a somewhat 3-angled peduncle. 



11. depressum, Haw. Prostrate: Ivs. narrow, tongue- 

 shaped, recurved-depressed, acute: fls. yellow, with 

 petals somewhat recurved. 



12. pustulatum, Haw. Lvs. 2-ranked, narrow, 

 tongue-shaped, long and ascending, blunt, bearing 

 pustules near the base: fls. yellow. 



DD. Fls. white or reddish. 



13. pubescens, Haw. Almost stemless: Ivs. silky- 

 pubescent, semi-cylindrical, oblique at apex: fls. bright 

 rose-red. Gt. 59:1579 and p. 13. 



14. calamiforme, Linn. St. 1-2 in. long, woody: Ivs. 

 glaucescent, cylindric, with a much-thickened base : fls. 

 in short stout peduncles, solitary, white with pink 

 tips, 2 l /2 in. across. B.M. 7775. 



BB. Plant with an evident erect or prostrate st. 

 c. Foliage-lvs. distinct or essentially so (not truly per- 



foliate nor connate). 

 D. St. or caudex prostrate. 



E. Branches angular: Ivs. acinaciform with smooth angles. 

 F. Peduncle with 2 bracts. 



15. acinacif6rme, Linn. St. articulate, 2-3 ft. long, 

 the young growth compressed: Ivs. opposite, 2-3 in. 

 long, scimitar-shaped (curved and thicker on one edge), 

 the keel dilated: fls. purple, about 4 in. across, "the 

 largest in the genus," the stigmas 14: fr. size of a 

 gooseberry, and eaten by Hottentots. Gn. 62, p. 362. 

 Gt. 59, p. 15. Handsome. 



16. rubrocinctum, Haw., is probably a form of the 

 last, differing in having a red line on the keels of the 

 Ivs. B.R. 1732. 



17. aequilaterale, Haw. Differs from M . acinaciforme 

 chiefly in thinner Ivs. and smaller fls.: sts. several 

 feet long, often forming large mats: Ivs. 3-sided, 

 thicker than broad, to 2 in. long: fls. fragrant, to 2 in. 

 across, bright rose-purple, showy and fragrant. Native 

 to Austral., Tasmania, Chile and Calif. Grows on dunes 

 and banks near the sea. 



FF. Peduncle without bracts. 



18. edftle, Linn. Fig. 2365. St. angular: Ivs. oppo- 

 site, 3-4 in. long, triquetrous, curved, the keel serrate: 



2365. Mesembryanthemum edule. Hottentot fig. 



