CALANDRINIAS 
89 
CALANDRINIAS 
Natural Order PortulacEjE. Genus Calandrinia 
Calandrinia (named by Humboldt and Bonpland in honour of J. L. 
Calandrini, a botanist of Geneva). A genus of about sixty species of 
smooth fleshy plants with many of the characters of Portulaca, but 
differing in respect of the two sepals, which are not united at their 
base, and which are persistent, wrapping round the seed-vessel after 
the petals have fallen. The petals are from three to five in number, 
usually five; attached like the stamens below the ovary. In PortvJaca 
these spring from the sides of the ovary. The style ends in a 
three-branched stigma; and the fruit is one-celled, splitting into three 
valves when ripe. They are natives of Australia and America. But 
few of the species described have been introduced as living plants, and 
still fewer are cultivated. These are all of recent introduction, that is 
to say, within the present century, and there is nothing of special interest 
in their garden history. Like Portulaca, they require bright sunshine 
to encourage them to open their flowers, so that they are unsuitable for 
places that have not a sunny aspect. 
species Calandrinia discolor (two-coloured). Stems, 12 
to 18 inches. Leaves oblong or lance-shaped, glaucous, 
mostly from the root, green above, purplish beneath. The flowers are 
large (1| inch diameter) with broad rosy-purple petals, and numerous 
bright orange stamens. The two sepals are broad, concave, spotted with 
black. The flowers, which appear in July and August, are combined in 
a loose raceme. The species is a native of Chili, whence it was introduced 
little more than sixty years ago. 
C. GRANDIFLORA (large flowered) closely resembles C. discolor, but 
the flowers, in spite of the name, are slightly smaller, and of a darker 
hue: The stems are partly shrubby, and about a foot in height; and 
the leaves are fleshy, rhomboid, more tapering at each end, and green on 
both sides. Flowers June to August. Native of Chili (introduced 
seventy years ago). 
C. Menziesii (Menzies’) has much-branched, prostrate stems, about 
9 inches high, with spoon-shaped leaves, and deep purple-crimson soli¬ 
tary flowers, nearly an inch across, produced chiefly from the axils. 
It flowers from June to September, and is a native of California 
(1831). 
C. nitida (shining). A neat little tufted species, 6 inches high and 
r.—23 
