PORTULACACEAE (PURSLANE FAMILY) 87 



A. Sepals not scarious; styles or stigmas 3 or more. 



B. Ovary quite free from the calyx; leaves either mostly basal or mostly scattered 

 along the stem. 



C. Caudex beset with short subulate spines which are the persistent midribs 

 of former leaves; leaves terete, about 12 mm. long; sepals deciduous; stamens 

 20-30. E. (The native name of an African species.) 



Talinum spinescens (ROCK PINK) 



CC. Caudex not beset with spines or none; leaves either not terete or else more 

 than 12 mm. long; sepals persistent; stamens fewer (except in some species of 

 Lewisia). 



D. Leaves either in a basal tuft or scattered along the stem; sepals 2-3; petals 

 2-5; stamens 3-10; styles or stigmas 3; capsule not circumscissile, 3-valved 

 from apex. 

 E. Most of the leaves scattered along the stem, alternate, linear to lanceolate. 



F. Leaves not scarious nor clasping at base, the upper linear, the lower 

 lanceolate and petioled; stamens 3 or more; seed minutely tuberculate. 

 W. (Honor of J. L. Calandrini, a Swiss botanist.) 



Calandrinia caulescens (RED MAIDS) 



FF. Leaves somewhat scarious and clasping at base, all linear and sessile; 

 stamens 3; seed quite smooth. MONTIA (p. 88) 



EE. Leaves not as above in all characters. 



G. Stems and leaves from a subterranean corm or the crown of a fleshy root; 

 most of the leaves at the surface of the ground; involucre leaves not united; 

 either petals not twice as long as the sepals or involucre leaves oblong or 

 narrower. CLAYTONIA (p. 87) 



GG. Plants without corms or fleshy roots (except M . sibirica, which has a 



fleshy root crown); leaves scattered along a stem above the ground, or 



involucre leaves united, or petals about thrice as long as the sepals and 



involucre leaves oblong. MONTIA (p. 88) 



DD. Leaves in a tuft on the top of the caudex; sepals 2-8; petals 10-16; 



stamens 5-50; styles or stigmas 3-8; capsule circumscissile. LEWISIA (p. 89) 



BB. Ovary adherent to the calyx along at least its lower half; most of the leaves 



scattered along the stem. E. A weed in cultivated land. (From L. portula 



= a small gate ; referring to lid of capsule.) Portulaca oleracea (PURSLANE) 



AA. Sepals scarious at least at margin; styles or stigmas 2. 



H. Stamens 3, longer than the petals and opposite the 3 larger ones; style very 

 long, filiform; capsule globose-ovate. W. C. E. (Honor of a Mr. Sprague, 

 an artist who illustrated Gray's Botanies.) Spragua multiceps (SPRAGUA) 



HH. Stamen i, shorter than the petals and alternate with them; style very short 

 or hardly any; capsule linear or oval. E. (Gk. calypterion = a covering. 

 Not clear why.) Calyptridium roseum 



CLAYTONIA (SPRING BEAUTY) 



Perennial, glabrous. Stem leaves 2, opposite (1-3 and alternate in C. 

 megarrhiza) ; basal leaves i or more. Flowers white or yellow or rose 

 colored, racemose ; racemes simple or paniculate, terminal, naked, loose. 

 Sepals 2. Petals always 5, free, equal, conspicuous. Stamens always 5. 



