PARKINSONIA 



PARONYCHIA 



2475 



and Gymnocladus and such southern kinds as Caesal- 

 pinia, Poinciana, and Colvillea. They are little known 

 horticultural!}'. 



A. Lfts. numerous; rachis flat, long. 



aculeata, Linn. JERUSALEM THORN. Small glabrous 

 tree, up to 10 ft. tall, the slender zigzag branches often 

 pendulous: Ivs. 8-16 in. long, with spiny petioles 3^-1 

 in. long; Ifts. numerous, very small, distant, linear to 

 linear-oblanceolate, y^ m - lo n g> inequilateral, on slen- 

 der petioles; rachis winged, 3^-1 K ft. long: racemes 

 slender, axillary-, 3-6 in. long; fls. fragrant, pendulous; 

 calyx glabrous, tube very short, lobes oblong, reflexed, 

 exceeding the tube; petals yellow, jHf-fHj m - l n g blades 

 suborbicular or oval, longer than the claws; stamens 

 and ovary pubescent: pods narrow, 2-4 in. long, con- 

 stricted between the seeds; seeds oblong. Probably 

 Trop. Amer. S.S. 3:131. 



AA. Lfts. few; rachis terete. 



Torreyana, Wats. Small tree, 18-25 ft. tall, with 

 light green, smooth bark: young branches and Ivs. 

 sparingly pubescent: Ifts. 2 or 3 pairs, oblong, obtuse, 

 narrowed toward the scarcely oblique base, glaucous, 

 about Mp- long: racemes terminal with rather long 

 pedicels, jointed near the middle, but joint not evident 

 until in fr. ; petals bright yellow, a prominent gland on 

 the upper one: pod acute, more or less constricted 

 between the very thick ventral suture. Valley of the 

 Colo, and eastward through W. Texas. Usually naked 

 in the S.W. as the Ivs. are early deciduous. 



P. L. RICKER. 



PARMENTIERA (named after Ant. Aug. Parmen- 

 tier, who intro. potato-cult, into France). Bignoniaceas. 

 Shrubs or small trees with spirally placed fls. in 

 3's: fls. from the old wood on rather long peduncles, 

 almost regular; calyx spathe-like, splitting up one 

 side; corolla campanulate-funnelform, little crooked, 

 limb sub-2-labiate, posterior 2-parted, anterior 3-parted, 

 lobes all broadly spreading; stamens 4, scarcely 

 exserted; ovary sessile, 2-loculate, many-seeded: 

 fr. elongate-cylindrical or oblong: Ivs. alternate or 

 subopposite, 3-foliate or some simple, common petiole 

 often broad. Species 2, from Mex. and Panama. P. 

 cerifera, Seem., from Panama, called "palo de vela," 

 or candle-tree, from its long cylindrical frs. which are 

 smooth and white like candles, has been offeied in the 

 trade. 



PARNASSIA (after Mt. Parnassus). Saxifragaceae. 

 GRASS OF PARNASSUS. Low-growing moisture-loving 

 hardy perennial herbs of tufted habit, sometimes 

 transferred to gardens. 



Glabrous, from short rootstocks, mostly with scape- 

 like sts.: Ivs. simple and entire, mostly radical (or 

 basal) and petiolate, 1 on the st. sessile and mostly 

 small: fls. usually 1, white or yellow; calyx 5-parted; 

 petals 5, withering, but deciduous; fertile stamens 5, 

 alternating with the petals; staminodia present or 

 represented by glands; ovary 1-celled; style very short 

 or none; stigmas usually 4; ovules many: caps. 1-celled, 

 with 4 placenta? projecting within, 4-valved (some- 

 times 3-valved). In wet or moist places intemperate 

 and subarctic regions in the northern hemisphere, 

 about 25 species. They are suitable for shady positions 

 along the water's edge, and are prop, by seeds or divis- 

 ion. They commonly grow about 6 in. high, but attain 

 2 ft. They bloom from June to Sept.; the petals are 

 conspicuously veined with green lines. The plant which 

 Dioscorides called "grass of Parnassus" is P. palustris, 

 the only species common in Eu. This is perhaps the 

 best one for cult., but they are all much alike in horti- 

 cultural value. Parnassias prefer a peaty soil, but such 

 is not necessary. The species are usually tenacious of 

 life and are good perennials. The N. Carolinian species 

 are hardy N. 



A. Petals not clawed. 

 B. Rudimentary stamens 9-20 at the base of each petal. 



c. Scape-lf. more or less clasping. 

 palustris, Linn. GRASS OF PARNASSUS. Rootstock 

 short and erect: Ivs. ovate, usually cordate at the base; 

 scape-lf. ovate or cordate, at or below the middle of st.: 

 fls. ^2~1 in. across; rudimentary stamens 9-15 scales 

 at the base of each petal. Eu., Asia., N. Amer., south 

 to Mich, and Wyo. Gn. 41, p. 500; 78, p. 450. G.L. 

 26:365. A.G. 13:696. 



cc. Scape-lf. not clasping. 



californica, Greene (P. palustris var. califdrnica, 

 Gray). Height 1-2 ft.: Ivs. ovate or ovate-oblong, 

 cuneate at base, 1-2 in. long; scape-lf. very small, and 

 borne above the middle: fls. 1 ^ in. across; rudimentary 

 stamens about 20 at the base of each petal. Calif . 



BB. Rudimentary stamens 3-5 at the base of each petal. 



caroliniana, Michx. Rootstock erect, very short: 

 height 8-16 in.: Ivs. ovate, broadly oval or orbicular, 

 more or less cordate at the base; scape-lf. borne below 

 the middle: fls. %-l % in- across; rudimentary stamens 

 usually 3 hi each set. Swamps and low meadows, New 

 Bruns. to Man., south to Va. B.M. 1459. 



AA. Petals clawed. 

 B. Rudimentary stamens usually 3 at the base of each petal. 



asarifolia, Vent. Rootstock erect, short and thick: 

 height 10-16 in.: Ivs. orbicular, kidney-shaped at the 

 base, often 2-3 in. wide; scape-lf. clasping, borne at 

 about the middle: petals entire. Wet places in high 

 mountains of Va. and N. C. B.B. 2:184. 



BB. Rudimentary stamens 5-9 at the base of each petal. 



fimbriata, Konig. Rootstock ascending, short: 

 height 1 ft. or less: Ivs. kidney-shaped to cordate-ovate; 

 scape-lf. cordate, more or less clasping, at or above the 

 middle: petals fringed below the middle. Colo, to Calif, 

 and north in Alberta and to Alaska. 



P. nubtcola. Wall. The largest and coarsest of all the species, 

 and lacks the delicate beauty and white petals of P. palustris: Ivs. 

 elliptic-ovate; scape-lf. borne below the middle: petals shorter than 

 in the other kinds as compared with calyx-lobes; rudimentary fila- 

 ments 3, not topped by anthers. Himalayas. B.M. 6609. 



WILHELM MILLER. 

 L. H. B.f 



PAROCHETUS (Greek, beside, and ditch 'or canal). 

 Leguminpsx. A half-hardy perennial trailer, with 

 foliage like the shamrock, but with each of the 3 Ifts. 

 marked at the base with a handsome brown crescent; 

 the pea-shaped fls. have a cobalt-blue standard and 

 pink wings. It is desirable for hanging-baskets, pots 

 and rockeries, and is said to bloom the year round. 

 Parochetus is a genus of one species. It is allied to the 

 clovers, sweet clover, medick, and rest-harrow, and 

 differs from them in having a more acute keel, a 2- 

 valved pod, and the Ifts. not stalked. It is a native of 

 Trop. Asia and E. Afr., ascending the Himalayas from 

 4,000-13,000 ft. If seeds could be secured from the 

 greatest altitude the plants might be hardy hi the N. 

 This plant was formerly offered by A. Blanc, of Phila- 

 delphia, under the name of shamrock-pea, or blue 

 oxalis. It has recently been distributed by the U. S. 

 Dept. of Agric. in an effort to give this attractive plant 

 a place in American horticulture. 



communis, Hamilt. SHAMROCK-PEA. BLUE OXALIS. 

 Height 2-3 in.: rhizome thread-like, wide-creeping: 

 petiole 2 in. long; Ifts. obovate, emarginate, glabrous 

 or slightly pubescent: peduncles 1-2-fld.; fls. J^-^in. 

 across, axillary: pod straight, glabrous, linear, %-l in. 

 long. F.S. 15:1575. p. L. RicKER.f 



PARONtCHIA (old Greek name used by Dioscorides, 

 meaning whitlow- wort, or a cure for whitlow, a disease 

 of the fingers or toes). Caryophyllacese; by some sep- 



