PITCAIRXIA 



PITHECOLOBIUM 



2651 



1881. They are American, mostly tropical. In choice 

 collections, various species of pitcairnias may be ex- 

 pected, but very few of them are in the American trade. 

 For pictures of two Mexican species, P. Jaliscana and 

 P. Palmeri (not cult,), see G.F. 1:197 and 211. P. 

 Jarinosa is an undetermined trade name. For other 

 species, see Puya. For cult, of pitcairnias, follow advice 

 given under BiUbergia. 



A. Infl. on a scape. 



B. Fls. pendulous. 



corallina, Lind. & Andre. Stemless: outer Ivs. hard 

 and dry. without marginal spines, the inner ones with 

 brown-spined petioles and broad plicate recurved 

 blades which are somewhat scurfy on the back: pedun- 

 cle about 1 ft. long, bright red, the raceme of about 

 equal length and drooping: fls. coral-red, about 3 in. 

 long, the calyx part comprising about one-third of this 

 length: stamens as long as the petals, with white fila- 

 ments: stigmas twisted. Colombia. R.H. 1875:250. 

 B.M. 6600. Perhaps the best species. 



BB. Fls. erect. 



Moritziana, Koch (P. Klotzschiana, Baker). Stem- 

 less: Ivs. linear, in a rosette, 12-18 in. long, usually 

 spineless and the petiole short or none: raceme 1 ft. or 

 less long, on a leafy peduncle of about the same length; 

 fls. red or yellowish, usually not 3 in. long. Venezuela. 

 R.H. 1903," p. 175. 



AA. Infl. sessile. 



heterophylla, Beer (P. Morrenii, Lem. Puya hetero- 

 phylla, Lindl.). Stemless: Ivs. of two kinds, the outer 

 ones narrow and spiny, brown, and being the termina- 

 tion of bulb-like scales, the later ones being longer 

 (16-24 in.) and green and entire: fls. rose or white, in a 

 close oblong spike that is shorter than the green Ivs., 

 the latter arising, however, from separate shoots. 

 Mex. to Venezuela and Ecuador. B.R. 26:71. J.F. 

 3:291. Odd. 



Var. exscapa, Mez (P. exscapa, Hook.). Differs in 

 its intense purple-red fls. Ecuador. B.M. 4591. J.F. 

 2:151. 



P. a/p<?/n>=Puya. P. carruJj=Puya. P. echinata. Hook. 

 Lvs. of two kinds, the one scale-like, the other normally developed, 

 up to 3 ft. long and 2'^ in. wide, spiny: panicle bipinnate; sepals 

 acute, keeled, echinate with stellate hairs; petals yellow. Colombia, 

 B.M. 4709. J.F. 4:407. P. fl&mmea, LindL Lvs. up to 3 ft., and 

 1 : 4 in. broad, linear-ensiform, entire: racemes densely many-fld., 

 on a scape; sepals acute; petals red. BraxiL B.M. 7175 (as P. 

 RoezliiV P. Punckidna, A. Dietr. Lvs. 1-2 ft. long, 2 in. wide 

 lanceolate, glabrous, unarmed: fls. in a lax raceme on a manifest 

 scape: sepals obtuse: petals white. Guiana and Colombia. Gt. 

 4:44. B.M. 4705 (as P. macrocalyx). P. Jdcksonii, Hook.=P. 

 punicea. P. Karirinfkyana, Schult. Lvs. of two kinds, the one per- 

 sistent, setifonn, the other normal, deciduous when old, up to 1 ft. 

 long, and >2in. broad, unarmed, glabrous, grass-like: raceme few- 

 fld., on a manifest scape: sepals acute; petals red. Mex. P. 

 \Iieheiiana, Andr. Tufted, Stemless: Ivs. linear, channeled, 2 ft. 

 or more long: scapes tall, bearing spikes of scarlet-red fls. Mex. 

 R.H. 1901:576. P. punicea, Scheidw. Lvs. up to 10 in. long, 

 less than HID- wide, narrowly linear-lanceolate, longly acute, 

 glabrous above, pale scaly beneath: raceme on a scape, several- 

 fld.: sepals obliquely acute, scaly; petals brick-red. Mex. J.F. 

 2: 127. B.M. 4540 as P. Jacksoni). P. recurrata, Koch. Lvs. 2 ft. 

 long, 1-2 in. broad, lanceolate, minutely serrulated toward the tip: 

 fls. in dense raceme, 4-6 in. long, milk-white. Brazil. P. ringem, 

 Klotzsch & Link. Lvs. of two kinds, the one brown, awl-shaped, the 

 other grass-like, 2 l z ft. long, about J^in. broad, unarmed except at 

 base, glabrous: raceme few- to several- fld., on a manifest scape; 

 sepals acute: petals red. Mex. Gt. 2:53. P. spaihacea, Griseb.= 

 Puya spathacea, Mez. P. suareolem, Lindl. Lvs. up to 18 in. 

 long, and about Vjin. broad, narrowly ensifonn, unarmed, green: 

 raceme dense, on a manifest scape: sepals very acute; petals yellow. 

 Brazil. B.R. 1069. P. tabula 'j 'amis, Lind. Lvs. up to 6 in. long, 

 1 ; 4 in. wide, oblong-spatulate: infl. globose, head-like, sessile; 

 sepals acute: petals red. I.H. 9:344. F.M. 5:297. B.M. 8410. 

 P. undulata, Scheidw. Outer Ivs. triangular, brown, entire, the 

 inner ones few, up to 2 ft. long, *iin. wide, unarmed, undulate, 

 pale scaly on back: raceme many-fld., on a manifest scape; sepals 

 acute, scaly, becoming glabrous; petals red. S. Brazil. F.S. 2 : 162 



GEORGE V. NAsn.f 



PITCHER PLANTS are various carnivorous plants 

 bearing pitchers which in some cases contain a secreted 

 liquid by the aid of which the plant digests the 

 bodies of insects. The native pitcher plants of the 



northern and southern states are Sarracenias. The Cali- 

 fornia pitcher plant is described under Darlingtonia. 

 The favorite pitcher plants of greenhouses are Nepen- 

 thes. All these plants have a morphological resemblance 

 in their pitcher-bearing foliage, but their flowers and 

 seeds are so apparently unlike that they suggest deriva- 

 tion from widely different parts of the vegetable king- 

 dom. The genus Nepenthes might possibly be derived 

 from the Aristolochia family, being a derivative along 

 one line, while the parasitic Cytinacese might be 

 regarded as having degenerated along another line from 

 the same source. The Australian genus Cephalotus, 

 which has a pitcher strikingly like the pitchers of Nepen- 

 thes, may be an outlying relative of the saxifrage family. 

 Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, and the Venezuelan genus 

 Heliamphora seem to be more closely allied to one 

 another than to the others, and they make up the Sar- 

 raceniacese. See the different generic entries for fuller 

 accounts. 



PITHECOCTENIUM (Greek, monkey's comb; allud- 

 ing to the spiny fruit). Bignoniaceie. Ornamental 

 vines cultivated for their showy flowers. 



Evergreen shrubs climbing by If .-tendrils: young 

 branches ribbed: Ivs. opposite, 3-foliolate or the middle 

 1ft, replaced by a filiform 3-parted tendril: fls. in 

 terminal racemes or panicles; calyx campanulate, 

 truncate or with small teeth; corolla campanulate, 

 tubular at the base, curved, leathery, white or yellow- 

 ish; stamens included; disk large; ovary warty, with 

 many seeds in several rows: caps, broad, densely cov- 

 ered with prickly warts; the persistent septum with 

 enlarged margin. About 20 species in Cent, and S. 

 Amer. From the allied genera Bignonia and Anemo- 

 paegma it is easily distinguished by the prickly caps, 

 and the ovary with the seeds in several rows. Adapted 

 for cult, in subtropical and tropical countries only. 

 For cult, and prop, see Bignonia. 



cynanchoides, DC. (P. dematideum, Griseb. Anemo- 

 psgma dematideum, Griseb. Bignonia alba, Hort., not 

 Auth.). Branchlets slightly hairy at first: Ifts. ovate, 

 long-acuminate and obtusely pointed, subcordate or 

 broadly cuneate at the base, glabrous above, 1-2 in. 

 long; petiole pubescent at the apex: fls. in terminal 

 few-fld. racemes; the lowest pair of fls. long-stalked; 

 corolla white, tubular-funnelform with spreading limb, 

 pubescent outside, 1^-2 in. long; ovary tomentose: fr. 

 2H in- long, covered with yellowish spines. Nearly all 

 the year. Argentina, Uruguay. Hieronymus, Icon. 

 Descr. Plant. Argentina, 7. B.M. 8556. 



muricatum, DC. (Bignonia echinata, Jacq.). Gla- 

 brous: Ifts. ovate, acute or acuminate, rounded or 

 subcordate at the base: fls. in terminal many-fld. 

 racemes; corolla about 1 in. long, white, with yellow 

 throat: fr. oblong, 2-5 in. long, densely covered with 

 prickles. Mex. 



P. buccinatdrium, Mairet=Phaedranthus buccinatorius. P. 

 cinereum, DC.=Distictis cinerea. ALFRED REHDER. 



PrrHECOLOBIUM (Greek, monkey, and ear-ring). 

 Leguminosx. Tropical shrubs or trees planted for 

 ornament and shade. 



With or without axillary stipular spines: Ivs. bipin- 

 nate; Ifts. at first small, many pinnate or large, 1-3- 

 pinnate, rarely with 1 1ft.; petiolar glands rarely want- 

 ing; stipules small and inconspicuous or persistent, 

 hardened or spiny: fls. 5- or rarely 6-merous, hermaph- 

 rodite or rarely polygamous, in head -like spikes; 

 calyx campanulate or tubular, short-toothed; corolla 

 tubular or funnelform; stamens few or many, much 

 exserted, at the base or above united into a tube; 

 anthers small; ovary sessile or stipitate, many-ovuled, 

 style filiform, stigma terminal, small or capitate: pod 

 compressed or flattened, circinate, twisted falcate^or 

 rarely nearly straight, coriaceous, thick or somewhat 

 fleshy, 2-valved, not septate between the seeds; seed 



