86 MALVACE^. 



cidal at the top : cells many-seeded, bearing cotton. — Segments of the involucel cordate, and 

 usually cut, 



58. 6. barbadense, L. Sufirutescent or shrubby ; branches and petioles bearing black 

 dots ; leaves mostly glabrous ; involucel-segments cordate-acuminate, exceeding half the 

 length of the corolla ; petals yellowish, or changing into purple j, seeds black : cotton white, 

 " easily separable from the testa." — PluJen. Aim. t. 188./. 1.^ — My materials do not allow 

 of giving a more complete diagnosis of the cotton-plant, which is said to grow spontaneously 

 in the West Indies ; for I have examined only two West Indian forms : 



a. Leaves 3-5-lobed ; petioles and nerves beneath hairy, 3 of the latter usually bearing 

 glands. — 6. hraailieme, Macf. 



p. integrum. Leaves entire (rarely obsoletely 3-lobed), with the petioles glabrous, bearing a 

 single gland beneath or none. — Hab. Jamaica \, Al. (a) ; Caribbean Islands, e. g. Barbadoes 

 (ZiKM.), S. Kitts ! (S). 

 • G. herbaceum, L., (the cotton-plant, cultivated usually in southern Em-ope,) is distinguished 

 by the involucel half as long as the corolla, not acuminate, the leaves and stem pubescent, 

 the petals yellow, with a large red spot at the base, and " the seeds white." This seems to be 

 cultivated "also in the West Indies (Tuss. M. 2. t. 17 ; Desc. M. 4. t. 278). But another 

 shrubby Gossypium, cultivated also near Naples, is exactly intermediate between our G. bar- 

 badense and G. herbaceum, having the involucel not acuminate, but exceeding half the length 

 of the corolla, purple flowers, black seeds, which are pubescent between the cotton, and 

 downy, 3-5-lobed leaves. This would answer to the description of G. purpurascens, Poir., 

 and to Bot. Reg. t. 84 (with the exception of the colour of the corolla, which is yellow, with 

 a red spot at the base). 



Swartz published a particular paper on the Gossypia cultivated in the West Indies (Stockh. 

 Handl. 1790) : but X am not able to combine his results with my investigation of West In- 

 dian specimens. He gives the following characters : 



G. barbadense, L. Glabrous ; leaves 3-5-lobed ; seeds easily separable from the cotton. — 

 Suffrutescent, 6'-15' high. 



G. Mrsutum, L. Hirsute ; superior leaves undivided ; seeds green, adhering to the cotton. — 

 Shrubby. 



These species, he says, are generally cultivated in the West Indies, and together with ff. 

 religiosum, L., which he distinguishes chiefly by coloured cotton adhering to green seeds. — 

 Macfadyen described four species, and stated all of them to be naturalized in Jamaica : of these 

 I believe I recognize his G. brasiliense, while G. purpurascens, G. Jamaicense, Macf., and G. 

 oligospermum, Macf., seem to belong to those forms of G. herbaceum and G. purpurascens 

 wMch I have mentioned above. 



16. PARITIUM, St. mi. 



Calyx 5-fid, surrounded by an 8-10-fid, or 8-10-toothed involucel. Style thickened and 

 pubescent above, shortly 5-fid : stigmas enlarged. Capsule 5-locular, loculicidal : cells many- 

 seeded, partitioned lengthwise by a spurious, incomplete dissepiment, which by dehiscence 

 splits Into two membranes. — ^Trees or high shrubs ; one or three of the leaf-ribs usually 

 glandular beneath at the base ; stipules broad, deciduous ; peduncles 1-3-fowered, termi- 



59. P. tUiaceum, A. Juss. Leaves cordate-rounded, usually cuspidate, hoary vrith 

 down beneath, quite entire, or obsoletely crenate ; involucel 10-fid (sometimes 10-toothed, or 

 deeply 10-fid), persistent with the calyx ; petals yellow, obovate ; capsule ovoid-rounded, 



f tomentose : seeds glabrous (or vrith a minute scattered down). — SI. i. 134./. 4 ; Cav. Diss. 

 ■I t. 55./. \; Desc. Fl. 2. t. 148. — Hibiscus, L. H. arboreus, Desc. H. similis, Bl.—K 



high shrub, or tree, 10'-20' high; involucel 6'", calyx 10'", petals 2"-24", capsule 8"' long. 



—Hab. Jamaica!, Macf., common along the seashore, to Trinidad!, Cr.; [all tropical 



seashores: Cuba!, and Mexico! to Brazil! and Peru!, Pacific Islands!; East Indies!; 



Western Africa I, Port Natal !, Cape !] . 



60. P. elatum, G. Don. leaves cordate-rounded, shortly cuspidate, hoary with down 

 beneath, quite entire ; involucel at length deciduous together with the calyx, 8-10-toothed 

 (often in one or several sutures divided to or beyond the middle) ; petals changing in colour, 

 large ; capsule ovate-globose, or ovate-oblong, villous : seeds villous. — SI. t. 134. /. 1, 2 : 



