

ASCLEPIADACEAE. 165 



gamopetalous flowers; and paired cylindrical follicles which are 



infrequently seen. 



Leaves lanceolate: flowers blue. (Running "myrtle"). V. minor. 



Family ASCLEPIADACEAE. Milkweed Family. 



A moderate-sized family, chiefly of herbs with milky sap, 

 some of which are used in hardy perennial planting. Hoya, the 

 waxflower, and Stapelia, the star-"cactus", are frequent in green- 

 houses. 



PERIPLOCA. Silk Vine. 



Deciduous twining woody plants with milky sap ; round 

 stems ; opposite raised 1 round leaf-scars with a single curved 

 bundle-trace; no stipule-scars; small hairy buds with few scales; 

 moderate entire petioled leaves ; rather large perfect purplish 

 gamopetalous flowers in sparse stalked axillary clusters ; slender 

 paired follicles : and small winged seeds. 



Leaves ovate, round-based, acuminate. P. graeca. 



Leaves lanceolate. P. graeca angustifolia. 



Family POLEMONIACEAE. Phlox Family. 



A rather small family of herbs, much used as hardy peren- 

 nials. 



PHLOX. 



Mostly perennial herbs with opposite leaves ; gamopetalous 

 salver-shaped white or reddish perfect flowers in sometimes 

 panicled cymes ; and small 2-seeded capsules. The following 

 somewhat woody evergreen matted species with small linear 

 leaves is used for rockeries, etc. 



Flowers bluish or pink. (Ground pink). P. subulata. 



Flowers white. P. subulata alba. 



Family VERBENACEAE. Verbena Family. 

 A moderately small family, chiefly of woody species in the 

 tropics, yielding the teak lumber used in ship-building. Among 

 bedding plants Verbena and Lantana are familiar examples the 

 latter a bad weed in Hawaii, and one Clerodendron is a very ef- 

 fective greenhouse climber. 



