2714 



PLEIONE 



lip spotted purple or orange-red; lip deeply 3-lobed. Moulmein. O. 

 1914, p. 78. P.yunnanensis, Rolfe. Fls. rose or purple; sepals and 



52:251. O. 1914, p. 79. GEORGE V. NASH.f 



PLEIOSPERMIUM (from the Greek for many and 

 seed). Rutacex, tribe Citrese. Small trees distantly 

 related to Citrus, but having fruits filled with mucilag- 

 inous pulp. Limonia Pleiospermium, Engler, 1896. 



Leaves trifoliolate, bifpliolate, or unifoliolate; spines 

 straight, singly or in pairs in the axils of the Ivs.: fls. 

 in terminal panicles or axillary clusters; ovary 5-celled 

 with 2 ovules in each cell. Two species are known, 

 ranging from India and Ceylon to Java. Both species 

 of Pleiospermium are small trees, and both should be 

 tested as stocks upon which to graft the common citrous 

 frs. So far, attempts to intro. living seeds of P. alatum 

 from India to this country have failed, possibly because 

 of the large size and soft texture of the seeds. 



alarum, Swingle (Limdnia atiita, Wight & Arn.). 

 TrjMPAT-KtrRTTNDU. Small tree, common in S. India 

 and Ceylon, especially in- the dry regions: small 

 branches, spineless or with spines 1 in. long: Ivs. tri- 

 foliolate; Ifts. obovate, petioles winged: fl.-buds downy: 

 fls. 4-5-parted, short-pedicelled in terminal or axillary 

 panicles: fr. globose, 5-celled with 2 rather large seeds or 

 rudiments of seeds in each cell, imbedded in a muci- 

 laginous pulp. 111. Wight. 111. Ind. Bot., pi. 41. The 

 wood is hard and close-grained, much like that of 

 Chalcas exotica. 



dubium, Swingle (Limdnia diphytta, Houttuyn(?). 

 L. dubia, Blume. Paramigyna Blumei, Hassk.). 

 KIDJEROEKAN. A small tree, native to Java, 9-12 ft. in 

 height, branching out about 4-5 ft. from the ground, 

 and having numerous suckers at the base: branches 

 spiny or spineless: Ivs. unifoliolate, bifoliolate, or trifo- 

 liolate; petioles slightly winged: fls. in short axillary 

 clusters of 5-15; ovary pubescent: frs. the size of a 

 pigeon's egg, filled with unpleasantly aromatic resin 

 secreted by pulp vesicles 3-4 mm. long. See Journ. 

 Wash. Acad. Sci. 6, No. 13. WALTER T. SWINGLE. 



PLEOCNEMIA: Dryopteris. 

 PLEROMA: Tibouchina. 



PLEUROSPERMUM (Greek ribs and seed, referring 

 to the strong ridges on the fr.}. Umbelliferse. Biennial 

 or perennial herbs, tall or low, and glabrous, hardy and 

 somewhat ornamental: Ivs. pinnate or compound- 

 pinnate, segms. ovate, dentate ; incised, or divided into 

 narrow segms.: umbel composite, many-rayed; involu- 

 cre and inyolucral bracts many, often membrana- 

 ceous or If .-like: fls. white or dark purple; calyx-teeth 

 small, ovate, or rarely obsolete; petals large for the 

 family, obovate or cuneate: fr. oblong, ovoid, or sub- 

 globose. About 45 species, a few in Eu., mostly in 

 Asia, sometimes planted for ornament. 



austriacum, Hoffm. Perennial, 2-3 ft. high: st. 

 upright, striate: Ivs. dark green, rather thick, shiny, 

 2-3 times pinnatifid, the lower petioled, triangular in 

 outline, the upper more or less sessile: umbel flat, up 

 to 40 rays; calyx weakly toothed, the teeth short and 

 obtuse; petals white, clawed, broad ovate, acutish. Eu. 



PLEUROTHALLIS (Greek, lateral branch; referring 

 to the inflorescence, which arises from the axil of the 

 leaf). Orchiddcese. Epiphytic orchids which on account 

 of their small inconspicuous flowers are of no particu- 

 lar horticultural value, and not generally cultivated, 

 although interesting. 



Stems clustered on the rhizome, sheathed with scales 

 below and bearing a single If. at the summit: fls. in a 

 nodding raceme from the axil of the If.: sepals free or 



PLUKENETIA 



the lateral ones united at the base; petals smaller; 

 labellum free, similar to the petals or 3-lobed; column 

 short, without lateral branches. One of the largest of 

 the genera of orchids containing about 400 species, dis- 

 persed in the region extending from Brazil and Bolivia 

 to Mex. and the W. Indies. 



Roezlii, Reichb. f. Lvs. oblong-lanceolate, 4-10 in. 

 long: fl.-st. often a little longer than the Ivs.: fls. 

 purple-brown, in a 1-sided raceme. Columbia. Gt. 50, 

 p. 272. 



ornata, Reichb. f. A very small cespitose plant with 

 Ivs. scarcely 1 in. long: fls. opening successively on 

 erect, zigzag racemes a few inches long, inconspicuous, 

 yellow with brown spots. B.M. 7094. The plant is 

 easily distinguished by the sepals, which are fringed 

 with silvery pendulous hairs. 



P. apiculata, Lindl. Lvs. 1-2 in. long, linear-lanceolate: racemes 

 3-5-fld., about as long as Ivs.; fls. pale yellow, about l /in. long. 

 Venezuela. P. attenuata, Rolfe. Lvs. elliptic, 1-1 % in- long: 

 scapes slender, 2-4-fld.; fls. about %in. long; sepals and petals 

 light green marked with purple; lip greenish white. P. barbosdna, 

 De Wild. Lvs. small, oblong-lanceolate: fls. small, yellow, rather 

 nodding. Brazil. P. Birchendllii, Rolfe. Fls. 3-7 in a raceme; 

 sepals dull reddish purple, the dorsal green-margined at base, 

 lanceolate, long-acuminate, nearly 2 in. long; petals long-acumi- 

 nate, about \Y\ in. long, light green striped brown at base; lip 

 3-lobed, less than J^in. long, the erect side lobes greenish white, 

 the front lobe dull reddish purple. Colombia. G.C. III. 45:391. 

 P. Cogniauxiana, Schlecht. Fls. densely hairy on outside, pale, 

 densely covered with purple markings. Costa Rica. P. crinlfera, 

 Hort. Very small: Ivs. orbicular: infl. bearing 4 fls., each about 

 Hin. long, covered outside with long whitish hairs; dorsal sepal light 

 green, with pale brown dots; lateral sepals united, red-purple. 

 Brazil. P. cuneifdlia, Cogn. Lvs. very fleshy, lanceolate: fls. 1% 

 in. long; lower half of sepals thin, pale yellow with red spots, upper 

 half very fleshy, pale reddish brown. Brazil. P. dubia, A. Rich. 

 Small, creeping: fls. yellow, with shining orange-yellow lip. Mex. 

 P. pectindta, Lindl. Raceme distichous; fls. sea-green, with a few 

 deep purple spots on base of lip; sepals pubescent, elongated, the 

 dorsal linear; petals linear-lanceolate; lip clawed, oblong, toothed 

 at base. Brazil. G.W. 14, p. 523; 15, p. 680. P. repens, Ames. 

 Lvs. lJ^-2 in. long, elliptic-oblong: peduncles 1-fld.; fls. 3-3 K in. 

 long, reddish brown. S. Brazil. P. riibens, Lindl. Raceme very 

 long; sepals lanceolate, acuminate; petals obtuse; lip obovate, 

 repand, obtuse. Brazil. G.W. 13, p. 367. -P. subulifolia, Kranzl. 

 Lvs. nearly 2 in. long, subulate: racemes slightly longer than Ivs., 

 5- or more-fld. ; fls. about ^in. long, yellow, with purple lines. Bra- 

 zil. P. vendsa, Rolfe. Lvs. 5%-8 in. long, lanceolate-oblong: ra- 

 cemes many-fld., 4-6 in. long; fls. very small, greenish. Trop. Amer. 



GEORGE V. 



PLOCAMA (Greek, bent hairs, alluding to the pen- 

 dulous branches). Rubiaceae. Erect branched shrubs, 

 usually fetid, to be grown under glass for the bloom or 

 planted out far S.: branches very slender, pendulous: 

 Ivs. opposite or yerticillate in 4's, linear-elongate, fili- 

 form, acute, flaccid; stipules connate into a short scari- 

 ous sheath, persistent: fls. minute, axillary or terminal; 

 calyx-tube globose, 5-lobed, persistent; corolla funnel- 

 fonn-campanulate, short-tubed, pilose-throated, limb 

 5-7-lobed, lobes oblong-lanceolate with the tip bent 

 and callous, valvate; stamens 5-7; ovary 2-3-celled: fr. 

 a small globose, white, succulent berry. One species, 

 Canary Isls. P. pendula, Ait., the only species, grows 

 about 2 ft. high, has white fls. and linear-oblong filiform 

 Ivs. Intro, in S. Calif, and also cult, in greenhouses 

 abroad. 



PLUKENETIA (from Leonh. Plukenet, an Eng- 

 lish botanist of the 17th century). Euphorbiacese. 

 Woody climbers, sometimes cult, in the tropics for the 

 fr.: Ivs. alternate, simple, often cordate, 3-5-nerved: 

 fls. small, in lateral clusters, apetalous; calyx valvate; 

 stamens 8-30; styles united to the apex into a swollen 

 column; ovules 1 in each cell of the ovary. About 12 

 species in the tropics of both hemispheres. Related to 

 Dalechampia and Tragia. The 4-lobed fr. of the fol- 

 lowing species is edible and has been utilized for hog- 

 feed, for which they are frequently planted in their 

 native land. P. volubilis, Linn. Style-column long and 

 slender: Ivs. cordate, somewhat pointed, repand or ser- 

 rate on margin. W. Indies. P. cornicidata, Smith. 

 Style-column ovoid or hemispherical. Java; Ivs. said to 

 be aromatic and used as a pot-herb. j. B. g. NORTON. 



