AEISTOLOCHIACEAE. 113 



1. ARISTOLOCHIA L. Sp. PI. 960. 1753. 



Perennial herbs or twining vines. Leaves alternate, mostly petioled, or 

 entire, 3-7-lobed cordate or aurieulate palmately nerved. Flowers irregular. 

 Calyx adnate to the ovary, at least to its base, the tube usually inflated around 

 the style and contracted at the throat, the limb spreading or reflexed, entire, 

 3--6-lobed or appendaged. Stamens mostly 6; anthers adnate to the short style 

 or stigma, 2-celled, the sacs longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary mostly 6-celled 

 with 6 parietal placentae. Style 3-6-lobed. Capsule naked, septicidally 6- 

 valved. Seeds very numerous, horizontal, compressed. [Xamed for its sup- 

 posed medicinal properties.] About 180 species, widely distributed in tropica] 

 and temperate regions. Type species: Aristolocliia rotunda L. 



Leaves cordate ; fruits short-peduncled ; pedvmcles leafy-bracted. 



1. -1. pcntandra. 

 Lenvps sagittate to hastate; fruits slender-peduncled ; 

 peduncles not bracted. 2. A. passifloracfoUa. 



1. Aristolochia pentandra Jacq. Enum. 30. 1760. 



Stems loosely pubescent or glabrate, trailing or low-climbing, branched, 3 

 m. long or less. Leaves rather fleshy, glabrous or nearly so, broadly ovate, 

 4-10 cm. long, entire or 3-lobed, acute or acuminate at the apex, cordate at the 

 bas'e, the slender petioles 1-4 cm. long; peduncles solitary in the axils, shorter 

 than the petioles, leafy-bracted at about the middle, the bract ovate, cordate, 

 sessile, 1-3 cm. long; ovary and calyx pubescent; calyx 2-3 cm. long, expanded 

 to one side, the limb acuminate, veined; stamens 5; capsule globose, 1.5-2 cm. 

 in diameter, usually longer than the peduncle. 



Maritime sand plains, Abaco, Great Bahama, New Providence, Andres, Eleu- 

 thera, Watling's and Long Island : — (Florida ; Cuba. Coastal Aristolochia. 



PiTCHER-PLAXT. 



2, Aristolochia passifloraefolia A. Eich. in Sagra, Hist. Cub. 11: 195. 1850. 



A glabrous vine, sometimes becoming 3 m. long, usually not more than 1 

 m., usually climbing, the stem slender. Leaves sagittate or aurieulate to 

 hastate, various, 3-6 cm. long, acute, obtuse or acuminate at the apex, the basal 

 auricles rounded, the petiole shorter than the blade; peduncles solitary in the 

 axils, as long as the leaves or shorter, not bracted ; calyx 3-4 cm. long, brown- 

 purple or greenish yellow, its base obliquely inflated, its tube slender, curved, 

 its limb suborbicular, bearing slender processes 6-10 mm. long; capsule oblong 

 or oblong-globose, 1-2 cm. long. 



Pine-lands and scrub-lands, Andros, New Providence and Great Exuma : — Cuba. 

 Slender Aristolochia, 



Order 8. POLYGONALES. 



Herbs, twining- vines, shrubs or trees, with alternate, or sometinies oppo- 

 site or whorled, smiple mostly entire leaves, jointed stems, and usually 

 sheathing united stipules (ocreae). Flowers small, regular, perfect, dioe- 

 cious, monoecious or polygamous. Petals none. Calyx inferior, 2-r)-cleft 

 or 2-6-parted, the segments or sepals more or less imbricated, sometimes 

 petaloid, sometimes developing wings in fruit. Stamens 2-0, inserted near 

 the base of the calyx; filaments filiform or subulate, often dilated at tlie 

 base, distinct or united into a ring: anthers 2-celled, the sacs longitudinally 

 dehiscent. Ovary superior, 1-celled ; ovule solitary, orthotropous, erect or 



