PTEROSPERMUM 



PTEROSPERMUM (Greek, winged seed). Stercu- 

 liac?(f. A genus of about 15 species of trees or shrubs 

 from tropical Asia. Lvs. 2-ranked, leathery, simple or 

 lobed: peduncles 1-3, terminal: bractlets entire or lacini- 

 ate, persistent or not: sepals 5, more or less connate; 

 petals 5, deciduous with calyx: staminal column short, 

 bearing 3 linear, 2-celled anthers between each pair of the 

 5 ligulate staminodia: ovary inserted at summit of stami- 

 nal column, 3-5-celled ; style entire ; stigma 5-furrowed ; 

 ovules many: capsule somewhat woody, terete or .^-an- 

 gled. Flora of British India 1:366. 



acerifdlium, Willd. Large tree: Ivs. 10-14 in. x 6-12 

 in., roundish or oblong, often lobed, palmately 5-7- 

 nerved; nerves prominent beneath : bractlets laciniate: 

 fl.-buds oblong, obtuse, 5-angled, rusty tomentose: fls. 

 5-G in. across, pure white, fragrant; sepals linear-ob- 

 long, thick; petals linear -oblong: capsule 4-6 in. long, 

 5-celled ; seeds many ; wing large, thin. B.M. 620. 

 Cult, in S. Calif. p> w> BARCLAY. 



PTEROSTYRAX (Greek, pteros, wing ; alluding to 

 the winged or ribbed fruit, by which it is distinguished 

 from the allied genus Styrax). Styracacece. Ornamen- 

 tal deciduous trees, witlfrather large, alternate, denticu- 

 late Ivs. and white fls. in showy pendulous panicles, 

 followed by small rather inconspicuous fruits. They are 

 only precariously hardy as far' north as Mass, in shel- 

 tered positions. In June they are very attractive, with 

 their graceful drooping panicles of numerous deutzia- 

 like fragrant flowers. They thrive best in a moderately 

 moist sandy loam and are prop, by seeds or layers and 

 also by greenwood cuttings under glass. About 3 spe- 

 cies in China and Japan. Small trees: fls. in large pan- 

 icles terminal on short branchlets ; calyx 5-toothed; 

 corolla 5-parted almost to the base; stamens 10, some- 

 what longer than the corolla and slightly exceeded by 

 the slender style : ovary 3-celled : fr. a ribbed or 

 winged, 1- to 2-seeded nut. Sometimes united with 

 Halesia, from which it is distinguished chiefly by the 

 panicled drooping inflorescence and the 5-merous fls. 



hispida, Sieb. & Zucc. (HaUsia hispida, Mast.). Fig. 

 2014. Tree, attaining 25 ft., with slender spreading 

 branches forming an open head: Ivs. short -petioled, 

 ovate to oblong, narrowed at the base, acute or acumi- 

 nate, almost glabrous or pubescent on the veins be- 

 neath, light green above, grayish green beneath, 4-7 in. 

 long: panicles 4-6 in. or more long: fls. creamy white, 

 fragrant, about ^ in. long: fr. 10-ribbed, thickly cov- 

 ered with bristly hairs, % in. long. June. Japan. G.C. 

 II. 22:177. Gn.*8, p. 243; 26, p. 23; 34, p. 111. R.H. 

 1875, p. 308. G.F. 5:389. M.D.G. 1899:353. 



corymbosa, Sieb. & Zucc. (HaUsia corymbdsa, 

 Nichols.). Small tree, closely allied to the preceding: 

 Ivs. broader, oval or ovate, sparingly stellate-pubescent 

 on both sides; panicle broader: fr. with 45 narrow 

 wings, tomentulose. June. Japan. Seems to be more 

 tender than the preceding and is but rarely cultivated. 



ALFRED REHDER. 



PTERCXYLON. See Ptceroxylon. 



PTILOMERIS is considered by Gray as a subgenus 

 of Baeria. P. coronaria, Nutt., is the plant known to 

 the trade as Shortia Californica. It is described and 

 figured in this work under Actinolepis. 



PTILOTUS exaltatus. See Triclinium. 



PTYCHORAPHIS (Greek, folded and raphe). Pal- 

 tnd<:r(t. A genus of 3 species of Malayan palms. Of 

 P. augusta, Wm. Watson writes: "It is as graceful as 

 Cocos Weddeliana or Geonoma gracilis, and it grows 

 as freely under cultivation as either of these popular 

 palms." This rare palm has been offered in America 

 but is not known to be cultivated. The genus contains 

 3 species, one from Singapore, one from the Philippines 

 and one from Nicobar. 



The genus is placed next to Rhopaloblaste by Drude 

 in Engler and Prantl's Natiirlichen Pflanzenfamilien 

 and distinguished by the ridge of the forked raphe and 

 deeply ruminate seed, while the rumination of the 

 upper parts of the seed is flattish. 



PUERARIA 



augnista, Becc. Trunk becoming 80-100 ft. high, 

 slender, smooth: Ivs. becoming 8-12 ft. long; pinna- 

 2-.'{ ft., linear, acuminate, bright green: fr. elliptical- 

 oblong, red: seed grooved on one side. Xicobar. 



F. -W. BARCLAY. 



2014. Pterostyrax hispida (X %). 



PTYCHOSPERMA (Greek words, probably referring 

 to the ruminate albumen of the seed). Palmdcece. The 

 following names have appeared in American trade cat- 

 alogues: Ptychosperma Alexandra, Cunning hamiana 

 and Seemannii. These are all referred below to other 

 genera. For P. eleffans, consult Seaforthia. 



P. alba, Scheff. See Dictyospenna alba. P. Alexandra, F. 

 Muell. See Archontophoenix Alexandras. P. Cunninghamidna, 

 H. Wendl. See Archontophcenix Cunningham!!. P. elegant, 

 Blume. Consult Seaforthia. P. Btimphii. Consult Drymo- 

 phlaeus. P. Se&mannii. See Balaka. 



PUCCOON. Lithospermum. 

 PUCCOON, BED. Sanguinaria. 

 PUCCOON, YELLOW. Hydrastis. 

 PTJCHA-PAT. Name in India of Patchouli. 

 PUDDING BERRY. Cornus Canadensis. 



PUERARIA (M. N. Puerari, botanist of Geneva). 

 Legumindsce. Ten twining Asian herbs or shrubs, 

 closely allied to Dolichos and Phaseolus, but differing 

 among other things in the beardless style, tumid nodes 

 of the raceme? and monadelphous stamens. Lvs. 3-foli- 

 olate and stipellate, the Ifts. sometimes lobed : fls. often 

 large, pea-shaped, in long and dense, often compound, 

 racemes; standard usually spurred at the base, about 

 equaling the wings and keel : pod flattish, linear, many- 

 seeded. 



Thunbergiana, Benth. (Dblichos Japdnicus, Hort. 

 Pachyrlzus Thunbergidnus, Sieb. & Zucc.). KUDZU 

 VINE. Perennial with large tuberous starchy roots, 

 making a most remarkably vigorous growth of slender, 

 hairy, twining stems : Ifts. rhombic-ovate to nearly or- 

 bicular-ovate, variously lobed, but the margins entire 

 and ciliate: fls. pea-shaped, purple, in axillary spikes 

 late in the season, not showy: pod large and flat. 

 Japan and China. A.G. 13:387; 21; 505. ".G.F. 6:505. 

 R.H. 1891, p. 31. Gt. 45:1429. A hardy vine remark- 

 able for the great rapidity of its growth, and most use- 



