MESEMBRYANTHEMUM 



MESEMBRYANTHEMUM 



1007 



EPAPULOSA: Plant not bearing glittering papillce or 



projections (species 1-23). 



B. Plant stemless or nearly so. 



c. Lvs. 4-6, semi-terete at the base, thickening and 



triquetrous at the apex. 



I tigrinum, Haw. TIGER'S JAW. Stemless or essen- 

 ially so: Ivs. cordate-ovate, 2 in. or less long, glaucous 

 reen and marbled with white, the upturning edges 

 -ith long soft, ciliated teeth, the keel entire: fls. 

 tearly sessile, large, yellow. B.R. 3:260. 



2. felinum, Haw. Fig. 1395. Lvs. triquetrous, rhom- 

 loid-lanceolate, 2 in. or less long, but narrower than in 

 he last somewhat glaucous, faintly dotted with white, 

 he edges with 8 ciliate teeth; keel entire: fls. nearly 

 .essiie, yellow. 



30. Lvs. 4-6, triquetrous, thickened from the base to the 

 middle, but tapering to the apex. 



3. albinatum, Haw. Stemless: Ivs. curved -triquet- 

 ous upwards, with a recurved mucro or spine at the 

 ipex, bearing elevated whitish dots : fls. sessile, yellow. 

 :cc. Lvs. half -cylindrical, of various sizes or forms on 



the same plant, in alternate pairs. 



4. angustum, Haw. Nearly or quite stemless, small: 

 Ivs. 2-ranked, linear, tongue-shaped, long, keeled at the 

 apex, somewhat unequal, one of them straight-acute 

 and the other hooked: fls. nearly sessile, yellow. 



cccc. Lvs. tongue-shaped, with one margin thicker 



than the other, of two or more forms, 2-ranked. 



D. Peduncle less than 1 in. long. 



5. linguaefdrme, Haw. Lvs. unequally tongue-shaped, 

 deflexed and somewhat falcate, becoming depressed 

 when old, flattish above, obliquely attenuate : fls. yellow. 

 Index Kewensis makes the M. lingua forme of Haworth 

 synonymous with M. obliquum, Willd., and uses Lin- 

 naeus' M. linguiforme as a tenable name. 



DD. Peduncle 1 in. or more long. 



6. cultratum, Salm-Dyck. Lvs. 2-ranked, thick, 

 tongue-shaped and curved like a pruning-knife, blunt 

 at the apex: fls. yellow, on a somewhat 3-angled pe- 

 duncle. 



7. depr6ssum, Haw. Prostrate : Ivs. narrow, tongue- 

 shaped, recurved-depressed, acute: fls. yellow, with 

 petals somewhat recurved. 



8 pustulatum, Haw. Lvs. 2-ranked, narrow, tongue- 

 shaped, long and ascending, blunt, bearing pustules near 

 the base: fls. yellow. 



BB. Plant with an evident erect or prostrate stem. 

 C. Foliage Ivs. distinct or essentially so (not truly per- 



foliate nor connate). 

 D. Stem or caudex prostrate. 

 E. Peduncle with 2 bracts. 



9. tricoldrum, Haw. (M. tricolor, Hort.). Stem 1 ft. 

 long: Ivs. cylindrical, acute, green, 2-3 in. long, 

 minutely punctate: fls. yellow, blood -colored inside, the 

 petals acute, the anthers brown. Gn. 24, p. 89. There 

 is a white-fld. form. 



10. acinacif6rme, Linn. Stem articulate, 2-3 ft. long, 

 the young growth compressed : Ivs. opposite, 2-3 in. 

 long, simitar-shaped (curved and thicker on one edge), 

 the keel dilated: fls. purple, about 4 in. across, "the lar- 

 gest in the genus," the stigmas 14: fr. size of a goose- 

 berry, and eaten by Hottentots. Handsome. 



11. rubroclnctuxn, Haw., is probably a form of the 

 last differing in having a red line on the keels ot the 

 Ifs. B.R. 20:1732. 



12. sequilaterale, Haw. Differs from M. acinaciforme 

 chiefly in thinner Ivs. and smaller fls.: fls.. fragrant, 

 1% in. across. Native to Australia, Tasmania, Chile and 

 S. Calif. 



EE. Peduncle ivithout bracts. 



13. 6dule, Linn. Stem angular: Ivs. opposite, 3-4 in. 

 long, triquetrous, curved, the keel serrate: fls. large, 

 yellow or purple, the stamens 8: fr. edible, being one of 

 the Hottentot Figs. Grows well on the sea cliffs in b. 

 England, making long, hanging masses (Gn. 55, p. <W5, 

 with picture). 



64 



DD. Stem, or at least the branches, erect or prominently 



ascending. 

 E. Fls. yellow, orange or copper-color. 



14. aurantiacum, Haw. Stem becoming 1 ft. or more 

 high, much branched, sometimes decumbent at base, the 

 branches somewhat compressed: Ivs. 1 in. or less long, 

 smooth and glaucous, bluntly triquetrous : fls. orange, 

 with petals % in. long and in about 3 series. 



15. aureum, Linn. Larger: Ivs. 1K-2 in. long, cylin- 

 drically triquetrous, smooth and glaucous, mucronate: 

 fls. golden, 2 in. across, the petals in many series. B.M. 

 262. In this and the last, the lower Ivs. are often nearly 

 connate at the base. 



EE. Fls. rose-color or purplish. 



F. Petals of two unlike kinds, subulate and linear- 

 lanceolate. 



16. mutabile, Haw. With straw-color or reddish 

 tortuous, erect branches: Ivs. about /^ in. long, com- 

 pressed-triquetrous, incurved, the keel entire, apex 

 acute : fls. mostly solitary on an upwardly thickened pe- 

 duncle, rose-color, the inner short petals pale yellow. 



1395. Mesembryanthemum felinum (X%). 



17 inclaudens, Haw. Distinguished from the last by 

 scimitar-shaped Ivs. and broader petals : Ivs. crowded, 

 green, compressed-triquetrous and scimitar-shaped 

 (thicker on one edge). 



FF. Petals of one kind. 



18. blandum, Haw. Two ft. , with numerous branches : 

 Ivs distant, 2 in. or less long, compressed-triquetrous, 

 but with equal sides, narrow, minutely dotted, acutish: 

 fls. 2 in. across, pale rose, the petals toothed. B.K. 

 7:582. L.B.C. 6:599. 



19 spectabile, Haw. Stem prostrate, but branches 

 ascending : Ivs. 2-3 in. long, crowded, glaucous, n 

 curved and spreading, triquetrous, attenuate and mu- 

 cronate : fls. purplish ; petals 1 in. long, the inner some- 

 what shorter. B.M. 396. 



20. muricatum, Haw. Stem suberect: plant bluish: 

 Ivs. less than % in. long, somewhat incurved, deltoid 

 and toothed, very glaucous: fls. small and fragrant, th 

 petals acute. 



cc. Foliage Ivs. truly connate or perfoliate. 

 D. Lvs. triquetrous. 



?! geminatum, Haw. Dwarf : stem subshrubby, the 

 branches procumbent: Ivs. erect, glaucous white, the 

 cartilaginous margins entire: fls. white (I). 



22 acutangulum, Haw. Stem shrubby, with rigid and 

 erect branches: Ivs. sheathing, % in. long and about as. 

 King as the internodes, glaucous green, triquetrous 

 compressed near the apex, somewhat incurved: fls. 

 white, small, in a panicle. 

 DD Lvs. elongated, subulate or somewhat cylindrical. 



spreading and recurved, very glaucous: fls. 

 mostly solitary, purplish. 



