MACLOSKIE : TROP^EOLACE^;. 543 



Family 55. TROP^OLACE^:. Nasturtion Family. 



Herbs, often climbing, with peltate or partite leaves and axillary, showy, 

 irregular flowers. Sepals 5, the posterior spurred. Petals 5, the upper 2 

 unlike the others. Stamens 8, hypogynous. Carpels 3, syncarpous, each 

 i-seeded. 



Species 35, in mountain regions from Mexico southwards. 



TROP^EOLUM Linn. Nasturtion. 



Flowers irregular ; posterior sepal spurred. Petals lightly perigynous, 

 the posterior pair unlike the others. 



I. T. PATAGONICUM Speg. 



Minute, glabrous, with peltate-partite leaves, on very short petioles. 

 Leaf-segments 4, small, elliptic-orbicular, slightly unequal, thick, glaucous. 

 Flowers somewhat orange ; mediocre, axillary, solitary, with long peduncle 

 and short spurs. 



Patagon., Chubut, on dry hills, by Lago Colu-huapi, and along Rio 

 Chubut. "Roots white, with fusoid or cylindraceous tubers, edible and 

 called Chalias." (Speg.) 



2. T. PENTAPHYLLUM Lam. 



Tuberiferous. Leaves 5-parted. Flowers solitary in the axils. Calyx 

 subvalvate ; the 3 anterior petals all, or i or 2 wanting. Fruit berry- 

 like, of 3 fleshy blackish-violet i-seeded divisions; edible. 



(Chili ; Brazil) ; Patagon. (see Magallana]. 



3- T. POLYPHYLLUM Cav. 



Tubers none. Leaves peltatisect, long-petioled, the segments 5-10, 

 oblong or obovate, subdentate, basicuneate. Petals 5, unguiculate, rather 

 exceeding the calyx, obtuse, entire, yellow. Annual. 



(Andine region.) 



T. POLYPHYLLUM INCISUM Speg. 



Lobes of the very glaucous leaves broad-obovate, mostly complicate, 

 more or less pinnately incised. Roof thick, branching, 50-150 cm. deep, 

 with scattered fusoid to cylindraceous tubers, rather insipid. 



Chubut, near Teka-choique and Nafofo-cahuello. 



