PIPSISSEWA 



PIQUERIA 



2647 



PIPSISSEWA: Chimaphila. 



PIPTADENIA (Greek, falling gland; meaning 

 obscure). Leguminosae. About 45 species of shrubs or 

 trees, mostly native to S. and Cent. Amer., a few in the 

 tropics of the Old World, similar to Mimosa and Acacia: 

 Ivs. bipinnate with numerous small Ifts., rarely with 

 few and large Ifts. : fls. small, white, in axillary globose 

 heads or cylindric spikes; petals small, equal, connate 

 to the middle; stamens 10, free: pod broadly linear, 

 2-valved, not septate within and not pulpous. The 

 following species has been intro. to Calif, by Fran- 

 ceschi chiefly for its economic interest; in its native 

 country it is valued for tan bark. Prop, by seeds. 

 P. Cebfl, Griseb. (P. macrocdrpa var. Cebll, Chodat & 

 Hassler). Tree, to 60 ft., glabrous: Ivs. with 10-16 

 pairs of opposite pinnae, each with 24-40 pairs of linear- 

 oblong acutish Ifts. about M m - long; petiole about 1 

 in. long with a conspicuous gland near the middle: fl.- 

 heads globose, axillary, 1-4, J^in. across, on slender 

 pedicels %-l in. long; stamens long-exserted : pod 6-8 

 in. long, about Min. wide, sinuate between the seeds. 

 Argentina. 



The fol low-ing three species have been recently intro. by the 

 Dept. of Agric.: P.communis, Benth. (Acacia gonoacantha, Mart.). 

 Prickly tree or shrub sometimes sarmentose: branchlets puberu- 

 lous, angled, older branches sometimes developing corky wings; 

 prickles small: Ivs. with 5-12 pairs of pinna:-, each with many 

 oblique, falcate, linear Ifts. : fl.-spikes 2-3 in. long, solitary or 2-3 

 in the axils or sometimes crowded at the end of the branches; 

 ovary glabrous: pod linear, 3^1 in. long, reticulate, with scarcely 

 thickened margin. Brazil. Fl. Brasil. 15, 2:74. P. macrocdrpa, 

 Benth. (Acacia grata, Willd.). Unarmed tree: branchlets and petioles 

 grayish tomentulose: Ivs. about 6 in. long, with 10-25 pairs of 

 pinnae, each with many oblique linear Ifts. scarcely 1 line long: 

 fl.-heads peduncled, globose, many-fld., 2-4, axillary, sometimes 

 crowded at the end of the branchlets: pod 4 10 in. long, J^-l in. 

 broad, with thickened margin. Brazil, 'Bolivia. P. rlgida, Benth. 

 (Acacia Angico, Mart.). Unarmed tree or shrub, nearly glabrous: 

 Ivs. with 3-6 pairs of pinnae, each with many oblique linear, fal- 

 cate, lustrous Ifts. about Hin- long: fl.-spikes axillary, 1-1 H in. 

 long; ovary glabrous: pod linear, to 5 in. long, with slightly thick- 

 ened margin. Brazil. It furnishes the Angico gum similar to gum 

 arabic; the bark is rich in tannin. 



Other species, 'known as acacias, are likely to appear in cult. 

 P. chrysdstachys, Benth. (Acacia chrysostachys, Sweet). Unarmed 

 tree, puberulous: pinnae 3-6 pairs; Ifts. 8-15 pairs, oblong, obtuse, 

 nearly J-2in. long: spikes solitary or 2, dense, 3 in. long; calyx 

 and corolla grayish pubescent. Madagascar. The wood is used by 

 the natives for musical instruments. P. latifdha, Benth. (Acacia 

 frutieosa, Mart.). To 4 ft. high: Ivs. bipinnate, glabrous, with 2 

 or 3 pbovate-elliptic Ifts.: fl.-spikes axillary, or terminal panicles. 

 Brazil. P. peregrina, Benth. The Acacia microphylla, Willd., is 

 referred her.e. It is unarmed: pinnae 25 pairs; Ifts. 50-60 pairs, lin- 

 ear, acute, ciliate; large gland' at base of petiole: branches and peti- 

 oles pubescent: heads pedunculate, twin, in the axils: pod linear, 



ALFRED REHDER.J 



PIPTANTHTJS (Greek, to fall, and a flower; the teeth 

 of the calyx, petals, and stamens fall off soon) . Legum- 

 inosse. Two shrubs natives of the mountains of south- 

 ern Asia, grown for ornament. 



Plants 3-10 ft. high: Ivs. digitately 3-foliate: fls. 

 racemose, bracted; calyx campanulate, 5-toothed; teeth 

 equal, lanceolate; corolla 3 times longer than the calyx; 

 petals all with long claws; standard orbicular, erect, 

 margins reflexed; wings oboyate; keel obovate-oblong, 

 connate down the back, slightly incurved; stamens 

 free; anthers uniform; ovary linear, stalked, downy, 

 6-10-ovuled; style filiform, incurved; stigma minute, 

 terminal: pod linear, flattened, continuous within. 

 Closely related to Baptisia and Thermopsis, from which 

 it is at once distinguished by having its stipules oppo- 

 site-connate instead of free or wanting as in those 

 genera. As yet but little known in U. S. 



A. Lvs. glabrate on both sides, 



nepalensis, D. Don (Baptisia nepalensis, Hook. 

 Thermopsis nepalensis, DC.). Shrub 6-10 ft. tall: 

 branches downy: stipules small, connate; petiole 1 in. 

 or less; Ifts. glabrescent, lanceolate, 2-4 in. long, nar- 

 rowed to both ends: fls. 12-20 in rather dense racemes; 

 bracts large, deciduous; calyx downy, deciduous from 

 the base; corolla yellow, 1 in. or more long: pod 2-5 

 in. long, 3-10-seeded. Temperate slopes of Himalayas, 



168 



7,000-9,000 ft., and in Yunnan. R.H. 1914, p. 9. G.C. 

 111.43:178. J.H. III. 43:250. H.U. 1:260. An at- 

 tractive ornamental of the habit of laburnum. Flowers 

 in May in the Middle States. Recently re-intro. from 

 W. China; probably not hardy north of Washington, 

 D. C. Prop, is by seeds sown in spring; if sown early 

 in the greenhouse, the plants will sometimes bloom the 

 same year; also prop, by soft-wood cuttings under glass 

 in spring or early summer. 



AA. Lvs. reddish tomentose beneath, silky above and 



becoming glabrate. 



tomentdsus, Franch. Slender shrub 3-7 ft. tall: 

 young branches tomentose, brownish glabrescent with 

 age: Ifts. ovate to ovate-lanceolate, before flowering 

 silky-white above, beneath pale reddish tomentose, 

 nearly glabrous above with age: fls. similar to the above 

 species but calyx with long silky hairs and sepals more 

 acuminate: pod narrowly linear, about J^in. wide and 

 2-3^2 m - long. at maturity densely short-tomentose, 

 5-8-seeded. Wooded mountain slopes of Yunnan, 

 China. More beautiful and much more hardy than P. 

 nepalensis, producing an abundance of fls. in April to 

 May in the Middle States. Its white silky hairs give it 

 a distinctive silvery appearance. p. L. RICKER. 



PrPTURUS (Greek, fallen tail, in allusion to the 

 inflorescence of some species). Urticaceae. Erect, 

 dioecious trees or shrubs: Ivs. alternate, 3- or 5-nerved; 

 stipules bifid: fls. in axillary clusters or the clusters 

 spicately arranged; male fls., perianth 4-5-fid, lobes 

 valvate; stamens 4 or 5; female fls. on a somewhat 

 fleshy receptacle, perianth ovoid, narrowed to a minute 

 mouth; ovary adherent to the perianth: achenes small, 

 surrounded by the accrescent fleshy perianths, form- 

 ing a soft and fleshy fruit. About 12 species, Mas- 

 carene Isls. to Malaya, Austral., and Polynesia. P. 

 argenteus, Wedd. Tree, 18720 ft.: Ivs. up to 8 in. long 

 and 4 in. broad, oval-acuminate, recurved at the top, 

 entire, dark green with silvery white marking on the 

 upper surface, silvery white on the under surface : fls. in 

 sessile glomerules, inconspicuous. Malaya, Austral., 

 and Polynesia. G.W. 7, p. 111. "This has been intro. in 

 botanic gardens. 



PIQUERIA (A. Piquer, Spanish physician of 18th 

 century). Compdsitae. Under the name of Stevia ser- 

 rata or S. serratifolia, florists grow Piqueria trinervia, 

 Cav. (Fig. 2985), for its small white fragrant fls. and 

 for bedding. It is native in Mex., Cent. Amer., and 

 Hayti. It is perennial. The genus contains about 20 

 species of herbs or bushes, all of Trop. Amer. They have 

 exclusively tubular fls. in densely cymose heads, the 

 heads containing 3-5 whitish 

 fls.; torus plane or convex, 

 naked; pappus none or very 

 short: achene 4-5-angled. It 

 resembles a small eupatorium 

 in foliage and fls. The small 

 heads are borne in small 

 panicled corymbs, each clus- 

 ter terminating a slender 

 axillary branch or peduncle. 

 The Ivs. are opposite, lanceo- 

 late to oblong -lanceolate, 

 serrate - dentate, very short- 

 stalked. There is a dwarf, 

 compact form, var. nana, 

 Hort., and also one with 

 broadly white-edged Ivs., 

 var. variegata, Hort., Fig. 

 2986, which are much used 

 for bedding out. The Cent. 

 American var. luxurians, O. 



2985. Piqueria triner- Kuntze, has slightly larger 

 via. Known to florists as heads but does not appear 

 Stevia senata. ( x M) to have been intro. into 



