PIGAFETTA 



PILOCARPUS 



2623 



divided; segms. opposite and alternate, lanceolate, 

 acuminate: spadix paniculate, much branched, pen- 

 dulous: fls. polygamous-monoecious; male calyx obconic, 

 truncate or obscurely 3-toothed; petals 3, free, lanceo- 

 late, valvate; stamens 6, filaments short, thick; ovary 

 an inconspicuous rudiment: fr. globose or oblong, 

 1-celled. About 5 species, Malaya. P. data, Wendl. 

 (Hyospdthe data, Hort. Metroxylon datum, Mart.). 

 Trunk of very .hard wood, erect, naked : Ivs. spreading 



2947. 

 Pieris mariana. 



and drooping, similar to those of Cocos; petioles thick 

 and having long bristles which become spiny with age: 

 inn. long, spadices with pendulous branches: fr. with a 

 solitary blackish seed. Celebes. Cult, occasionally 

 abroad; for treatment, consult article Palm. 



PILEA (pileus, a Roman cap: one of the segments of 

 the perianth in the first described species covering 

 the achene). Syn., Adicea. Urticaceae. Mostly weedy 

 plants, but forms of one or two species are grown in 

 greenhouses for their compact fern-like sprays and for 

 the interesting phenomenon of forcibly discharging the 

 pollen, whence the name "artillery plant." 



Annual or perennial herbs, glabrous or pubescent: 

 Ivs. opposite, usually strongly 3-neryed: fls. monoecious 

 or dioecious, mostly very small and hi axillary clusters; 

 stamens 3-4, and the sepal-lobes in the staminate fls. of 

 the same number; sepal-lobes of pistillate fls. 3, the 

 ovary 3-angled and erect and bearing a sessile tufted 

 stigma, with 3 scale-like staminodia: fr. an achene, 

 ovate or nearly orbicular, compressed, more or less 

 invested in the perianth. There are 150 or more spe- 

 cies of Pilea in the tropics, chiefly of Amer., and few 

 extra-tropical ; one, P. pumila, is a small nettle-like but 

 stingless plant growing in the northern states. 



The artillery plants of the gardens are small branchy 

 half-succulent herbs, usually grown in pots and allowed 

 to reach a foot or so in height. The gracefully curving 

 fronds of small ovate or obovate shining leaves are 

 much prized. They are easy to grow, being propagated 

 by cuttings. They thrive best when given an abun- 

 dance of water. Sometimes they are used as edgings in 



orchid houses, to screen the pots with green, and they 

 also tend to equalize the moisture conditions and 

 thereby contribute to the welfare of the orchids. When 

 the staminate flowers open, the pollen is usually dis- 

 charged forcibly and visibly. If a plant is put in a 

 sunny place when the pollen is ripe, it may set up a 

 vigorous bombardment, particularly if the foliage is 

 sprayed. (See I.H. 1, p. 64, 1854, for an account of 

 this phenomenon.) The artillery plant is seen in nearly 

 every greenhouse, but whether there is more than one 

 species in common cultivation it is not easy to deter- 

 mine, for specific characters are difficult to draw. The 

 leaves, although opposite, are unequal. Usually the 

 branchlets develop alternately on the branch. The 

 species are confused. 



muscosa, Lindl. (P. microphytta, Liebm.? P. calli- 

 tricholdes of some authors). Monoecious: small, rather 

 weak plant: Ivs. less than M m - l n g as a rule, sometimes 

 very small: fl.-clusters mostly sessile or nearly so. 

 Mex., W. Indies, S. Amer. Whether the plant in cult, 

 is really the P. muscosa originally described by Lindley 

 is in question. The plants are variable and characters 

 apparently not well understood. P. microphytta, Liebm., 

 is reported in Fla. 



serpyllifdlia, Wedd. (P. muscosa, Hort., in part. P. 

 cattitrichoides of some). Fig. 2948. Dioecious: plant 

 usually stronger and more upright: Ivs. usually J^in. 

 or more long, and fl.-clusters more peduncled. Mex. 

 Seems to be the commoner species, out it is difficult to 

 determine them. L. H. B. 



PILOCARPUS (Greek, pilos, a cap, and karpos, a 

 fruit, from the shape of the fruit). Rutdcese. Shrubs or 

 small trees, sometimes attaining 10 feet. 



Leaves pinnately compound, of 1-4 pairs and a 

 terminal 1ft.; Ifts. opposite, but the Ivs. usually alter- 

 nate: fls. in elongated racemes; petals 4-5, valvate; 

 stamens 4-5; ovary 4-5-lobed, not tubercled. Seven- 

 teen species, natives of Trop. Amer., principally Brazil. 

 The plants of the genus form the source of the alkaloid 

 "pilocarpine," and together with plants of several 

 other genera, the source of the drug "jaborandi." 



pennatifdlius, Lem. Branchlets glabrous or puberu- 

 lent: Ivs. alternate, 1-1 H ft. long; Ifts. 2 or 3 pairs, 

 besides the terminal one, 3-Q in. long, oblong; apex 

 rounded or emarginate, coriaceous, yellowish green: 



2948. Artillery plant. Pilea serpyllifolia. 

 (Left-hand spray about natural size) 



raceme spike-like, many-fld. (about 100) : rachis stout, 

 pedicels stout, horizontal, with 2 small greenish tooth- 

 shaped bracts at their bases : fls. reddish brown, rotate. 

 Brazil. B.M. 7235. J.F. 3:263. Intro, into Calif, and 

 said to be hardy in the open wherever the lemon can 

 be successfully grown. 



racemosus, Vahl. A small tree or shrub, 6-15 ft. 

 high: Ifts. 1-5, lance-elliptic to oval or obovate, retuse 

 at the apex, cuneate or somewhat rounded at the base, 



