PLATE CCLIII. 



TALINUM PATENS. 



Panicled Fwjlane. 



CLASS XL ORDER L 

 DODECANDRIA MONOGYNIA. TAvelve Chives. One Pointal. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Calyx. Perianthium diphyllum, parvum, fupe- 



rum, apice compreffum, perfillens. 

 Corolla. Petala quinque, plana, erefta, ob- 



tufa, calyce majora. 

 Stamina Filamenta multa, capillaria, corolla 



dimidio breviore. Antherae fimplices. 

 PisTiLLUM. Germcn fubrotundum. Stylus fim- 



plex, brevis. Stigmata quinque, oblonga, 



longitudine ftyli. 

 Pekicarpium. Cuplula tefta, ovate, trivalvis. 



Receptaculum liberum. 

 Semina pluriraa, parva. 



Empalement. Cup two-leaved, fmall, above, 



comprefled at the tip, remaining. 

 Blossom. Five petals, flat, fmooth, upright, 



blunt, larger than the empalement. 

 Chives. Threads many, hair-like, {horter by 



half than the blolTom. Tips Ample. 

 Pointal. Germ roundiili. Shaft fimple, fliort. 



Summits five, oblong, the length of the 



Ihaft. 

 Seed-vessel. Caplule covered, egg-£haped, 



three-valved. Receptacle free. 

 Seeds numerous, fmall. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 



Talinum foliis lanceolate ovatis, feflilibus, pla- 

 nis; panicula ramofa, terminal!; floribus 

 rubris. 



Purflane with leaves between lance and egg- 

 fliaped, without foot-ftalks, flat; panicle 

 branching and terminal; flowers red. 



REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 



1 . The Empalement and Pointal. 



2. A Chive, m.^giiified, 



3. The Seed-bud. Shaft, and Summit. 



4. The Sted-velTel nearly ripe, and the cup. 



5. A ripe Caplule, cut Iranfverfely. 

 6- A Seed, magnified. 



We now exhibit a plant which may, perhaps, be known by many, under the name of Porttilaca, rather 

 than that of Talinum. But. as the adoption of this new formed genus, upon a divifion of the fpecies 

 which have caplulfs of a (different conftriiaion, from the old generic charafter of Portulaca, feems ge- 

 nerally to obtain, amongft modern botanifts; fuch as Jufiieu, Cavanilles, Willdenow, <kc. we tliall not 

 diffent; althousrh we, at the lame time, take the liberty to fay, from the particular tendency of the 

 old genus Portulaca, to vary in moft parts of the flower, both as to number and charafter, we have 

 taken up the prefent genus, but rtludantly. This plant is a native of the Weft Indies, and is, by 

 fome, confidered a^ an annual; whilft by others it is treated of as a fhrub; but, indeed, it partakes of 

 both chara6ter<;, in fome meafure; for the ftem generally decays down, near to the earth, and often 

 the whole plant dies, after flowering. It graws to the height of two feet, half of which is formed of 

 the flowerlk'm. It makes a very gay appearance about Auguft, and feeds abundantly. Our figure 

 was taken from a plant in the col!e£tion of J. Vere, Efq. Kendngton Gore; where it flowers, annually, 

 in the higheft perfeftion. Introduced, fays the Kew Catalogue, by Chevalier Murray, in the year 



