PORTULACA. XXIV. PORTULACACE^E. 193 



Calyx and its scales f ' long. Petals small, pink-colored, sprinkled with -white, 

 crenate. Aug. 



2. D. BARBATUS. Sweet William or Bunch Pink. Lvs. lanceolate ; fls. aggre- 

 gate, fascicled ; scales of the calyx ovate-subulate, as long as the tube. TJ. An 

 ornamental flower slilf valued as in the times of old Gerarde, " for its beauty 

 to deck up the bosoms of the beautiful, and garlands and crowns for pleasure." 

 Stems Ijf high, thick. Leaves 3 5' by I 7 , narrowed to the clasping base. 

 Flowers in fastigiate cymes, red or whitish, often greatly variegated. May. Jl. -f 



3. D. CHINENSIS. China Pink. St. branched ; Ivs. linear-lanceolate ; Jl. 

 solitary; scales linear, leafy, spreading, as long as the tube. (g) Native of 

 China. An elegant species, well characterized by its leafy, spreading scales, 

 and its large, toothed or crenate, red petals. The foliage, like the other spe- 

 cies, is evergreen, being as abundant and vivid in winter as in summer, f 



4. D. PLUMARIUS. Single Pink. Pheasant' s-eye. Glaucous; st. 2 3-flow- 

 ered; fls. solitary; calyx teeth obtuse; scales ovate, very acute; Ivs. linear; 

 rough at the edge; pet. many-cleft, hairy at the throat. 1|. Native of Europe. 

 From this species probably originated those bea'utiful pinks called pheasant's 

 eye, of which there are enumerated in Scotland no less than 300 varieties. 

 Flowers white and purple. Jn. Aug. { 



5. D. CARYOPHYLLUS. Carnation. Bizarres, Picotees, Flakes, fyc. Lvs. 

 linear-subulate, channeled, glaucous ; fls. solitary; scafes very short, ovate; pet. 

 very broad, beardless, crenate. Stem 2 3f high, branched. Flowers white 

 and crimson ; petals crenate. This species is supposed to be the parent of all 

 the splendid varieties of the carnation. Over 400 sorts are now enumerated 

 by florists, distinguished mostly by some peculiarity in color, which is crimson, 

 white, red, purple, scarlet, yellow, and arranged in every possible order of 

 stripes, dots, flakes, and angles. 



6. D. SUPERBUS. Superb Pink. Dvs. linear-subulate; fls. fastigiate; scales 

 short, ovate, mucronate ; pet. pinnate. 1\. A singularly beautiful pink, native 

 of Europe. Stem 2f high, branching, with many flowers. Petals white, gashed 

 in a pinnate manner beyond the middle, and hairy at the mouth. Jl. Sept. 



Obs. Other species of this admirable genus are occasionally cultivated, but the varieties of Nos. 4 and 

 5 are by far the most common. The " Monthly Pink," common in house cultivation, with bright green, 

 channeled, linear leaves, short, csespitose stems, pink-red, double flowers, appears to be a variety of D. 

 Carthusianorum. 



ORDER XXIV. PORTULACACEJE. PURSLANES. 



Herbs succulent or fleshy, with entire leaves and no stipules. 



Cal. Sepals 2, united at base. 



Cor. Petals 5, sometimes more or less t imbricated in aestivation. 



Sta. variabje in number. Yilcurnents distinct. Anthers versatile or introtse. 



Oca. superior l-celled. Sty. several, stigmatose along the inner surface. 



Fr. a pyxis, dehiscing by a lid or capsule, loculicidal, with as many valves as stigmas. 



Genera 12, species 184, inhabiting dry places in every quarter of the world. They possess no remarka- 

 ble properties. 



Conspectus of the Genera. 



$ Capsule 3-vftlved. . ........ Talinum. 3 



< 820. I Pyxis dehiscing transversely PortuleuM. I 



Stamens 5, opposite the petals Claytonia. 2 



1. PORTULACA. Tourn. 



Sepals 2, the upper portion deciduous ; petals 5 (4 6), equal ; 

 stamens 8 20 ; styles 3 6-cleft or parted ; pyxis subglobose, dehis- 

 cing near the middle, many-seeded. Low, herbaceous, fleshy. Fls. 

 expanding only in sunshine. 



1. P. OLERACEA. Purslane. 



Lvs. cuneate ; fls. sessile. (J) A prostrate, fleshy weed, more common 

 in our gardens than desirable. Stem thick and succulent, much branched, and 

 spreading, smooth. Leaves fleshy, sessile, rounded at the end. Flowers yellow. 

 The herbage of the plant is of a reddish-green color. . Sometimes used as a pot- 

 herb. Jn. Aug. 



