PARKINSONIA 



PA RON YC HI A 



1217 



Mexico as palo verde, from the bright green color of the 

 branches. It stands drought even better than P. acu- 

 leata. These plants belong to the same tribe with such 

 fine northern trees as Gleditschia and Gymnocladus and 

 such southern kinds as Caesalpinia, Poinciana and 

 Colvillea. 



A. Lfts. numerous: rachis flat, long. 



aculeata, Linn. JERUSALEM THORN. Small, glabrous 

 tree, the slender branches often pendulous : spiny peti- 

 oles K-l in. long: Ifts. very small, oblong; rachis 

 %-l% ft. long: racemes axillary, 3-6 in. long: fls. fra- 

 grant, pendulous. S.S. 3:131. 



AA. Lfts. few: rachis terete. 



Torreyana, Wats. Small tree: Ifts. 2 or 3 pairs: ra- 

 cemes terminating the branches: pedicels jointed near 

 the middle, the joint not evident until in fr. Valley of 

 the Colo, and eastward. p. FRANCESCHI and W. M. 



PARNASSIA (after Mt. Parnassus). Saxifragacece. 

 GRASS OF PARNASSUS. About a dozen species of low- 

 growing, moisture-loving, hardy perennial herbs, of 

 tufted habit, each scape bearing a solitary, 5-petaled, 

 white or yellowish flower %-!/< i n - across. They are 

 suitable for shady positions along the water's edge, and 

 are prop, by seeds or division. They generally grow 

 about 6 in. high, but attain 2 ft. They bloom from June 

 to September; the petals are conspicuously veined with 9 

 or more green lines. The plant which Dioscorides called 

 "Grass of Parnassus" is P.palustris, the only species 

 that is common in Europe. This is perhaps the best 

 one for cult., but they are all much alike. Parnassias 

 are suitable plants for moist, sunny or partially shaded 

 positions. They prefer a peaty soil, but such is not 

 necessary. The species are generally tenacious of life 

 and are good perennials. The North Carolinian species 

 are hardy North. 



Parnassias are natives of the north temperate and 

 arctic zones. Calyx 5-parted : petals withering, but 

 persistent: fertile stamens 5, alternating with the pet- 

 als: ovary 1-celled: style very short or none: stigmas 

 usually 4: ovules many : capsule 1-celled, with 4 pla- 

 centae projecting within, 4-valved. 



A. Petals not clawed. 

 B. Rudimentary stamens 9-20 at the base of each 



petal. 

 c. Scape-leaf clasping. 



palustris, Linn. GRASS OF PARNASSUS. Lvs. ovate, 

 usually cordate at the base: fls. %-\ in. across: rudi- 

 mentary stamens 9-15 at the base of each petal. Eu., 

 Asia., N. Amer. Gn. 41, p. 500. A.G. 13:696. In Eu. 

 considered the commonest and best species, but in this 

 country it seems to be advertised only by dealers in 

 Japanese plants. 



cc. Scape-leaf not clasping. 



Calif6rnica, Greene. Height 1-2 ft. : Ivs. ovate or 

 ovate-oblong, 1-2 in. long; scape-leaf very small, and 

 borne much above the middle: fls. 1% in. across; rudi- 

 mentary stamens about 20 at the base of each petal. 

 Calif. Int. 1900, by Horsford. 



BB. Rudimentary stamens 3-5 at the base of each 

 petal. 



Caroliniana, Michx. Height 8-16 in.: Ivs. ovate, 

 broadly oval or orbicular, more or less cordate at the 

 base; scape-leaf borne below the middle: fls. %-VA in. 

 across ; rudimentary stamens usually 3 in each set. 

 Swamps and low meadows, New Brunswick to Manitoba, 

 south Va. to la. B.B. 2:182. B.M. 1459. -Commonest 

 in cult. 



AA. Petals clawed. 

 B. Rudimentary stamens 3 at the base of each petal. 



asarifolia, Vent. Height 10-16 in.: Ivs. orbicular, 

 kidney-shaped at the base, often 2-3 in. wide; scape- 

 leaf clasping, borne at about the middle: petals not 

 fringed. Wet places in high mts. of Va. and N. C. 

 B.B. 2:184. 



BB. Rudimentary xt<i)n<'H8 5-9 at the base of each 

 petal. 



fimbriata, Banks. Lvs. kidney-shaped to cordate- 

 ovate: petals fringed below the middle. Colo, to Calif, 

 and Brit. N. Amer. Int. by Gillett in 1881, and still 

 cult. 



P. nubicola, Wall. The largest and coarsest of all the spe- 

 cies, and lacks the delicate beauty and white petals of P. pa- 

 lustris. Lvs. elliptic-ovate; scape-leaf borne below the middle: 

 petals shorter than in the other kinds as compared with calyx 

 lobes: rudimentary filaments 3, not topped by anthers. Hima- 

 layas. B.M. 6609. F> w> BARCLAY and W. M. 



PARNASSUS, GRASS OF. See Parnassia. 



PAROCHfiTUS (Greek, near a lake). Leguminbsat. 

 This plant was offered recently by A. Blanc, of Phila- 

 delphia, under the name of Shamrock Pea or Blue 

 Oxalis. It is a half-hardy perennial trailer, with foli- 

 age like the shamrock, but with each of the 3 Ifts. 

 marked at the base with a handsome brown crescent; 

 the pea-shaped fls., have a cobalt blue standard and 

 pink wings. It is desirable for hanging baskets, pots 

 and rockeries. Blanc says it blooms the year round. It 

 is a native of tropical Asia and eastern Africa, ascend- 

 ing the Himalayas from 4,000 to 13,000 feet. If seeds 

 could be secured from the greatest altitude the plants 

 might be hardy in the North. 



Parochetus is a genus of one species. It is allied to 

 the clovers, sweet clover, medick and rest-harrow, and 

 differs from them in having a more acute keel, a 2- 

 valved pod, and the Ifts. not stalked. 



communis, Hamilt. SHAMROCK PEA. BLUE OXALIS. 

 Height 2-3 in.: rhizome thread-like, wide-creeping: 

 petiole 2 in. long: Ifts. obovate. emarginate, glabrous 

 or slightly pubescent: peduncles 1-2-fld. : fls. %-% in. 

 across, axillary. F.S. 15:1575. 



PARONt'CHIA (old Greek name used by Dioscorides, 

 meaning whitlow-wort, or a cure for a disease of the 

 fingers or toes). WHITLOW-WORT. Illecebrdcece ; by 

 Britton and Brown referred to Caryophyllacece. About 

 40 species of annual or perennial herbs, natives of the 

 Mediterranean region, erect or diffuse, often dichoto- 

 mously branching: Ivs. opposite, broad or narrow, en- 

 tire, the margins flat or very rarely recurved ; stipules 

 prominent, scarious, shining: fls. minute, without petals, 

 axillary or rarely in terminal cymes, usually densely 

 clustered and hidden among the stipules. A few are 

 cult, in the hardy border, and 2 are said to be much 

 used in bedding. The two European species here given 

 do not appear in the leading catalogues, domestic or 

 foreign, but P. serpyllifolia is said to be much used for 

 carpet bedding abroad. Allied to Herniaria, which see 

 for generic differences. The species described below 

 are perennials. P. argentea furnishes the Algerian tea 

 of medicine. 



A. Lvs. rather broad, obovate or nearly so. 

 B. Foliage nearly glabrous. 



argentea, Lam. Prostrate, diffuse: Ivs. obovate to 

 oblong or lanceolate: fls. lateral and terminal, dense, 

 intermixed with Ivs. : bracts ovate, acute, much longer 

 than the fl. ; calyx-lobes semi-scarious, hooded, mucro- 

 nate on the back near the apex. Common in dry places, 

 Mediterranean region. 



BB. Foliage ciliate at the margin. 



serpyllifdlia, DC. Prostrate, creeping: Ivs. obovate, 

 flat, rather fleshy: fls. terminal; calyx -lobes blunt. 

 Arid parts of southern and eastern Eu. 



AA. Lvs. narrow, linear or awl-shaped. 

 B. Awns of the calyx-segments erect. 



argyr6coma, Nutt. Erect or ascending, 3-8 in. high, 

 clothed with silvery, appressed, scale-like hairs : Ivs. 

 linear; stipules silvery white, scarious, entire, usually 

 shorter than the Ivs. : fls. in forking cymes : bracts large, 

 silvery, membranous. Rocky places. Me. and N. H. to 

 Ga. and Tenn. Also called Silver Chickweed, Silver- 

 head, and Silver Whitlow-wort. B.B. 2:38. 



