52 xvn. poktulacEjB. \_Portulaca 



1, PORTULACA L. ; Benth. & Hook. f. Gen. PI. i. p. 156. 



1. P. oleracea L. Sp. PI. edit. 1, p. 445 (1753); Welw. Apont. 

 p. 557, under n. 132 ; Oliv. PI. Trop. Afr. i. p. 148. 



Loanda. — Frequent in the richer spots of cultivated ground, almost 

 everywhere throughout the district, especially in kitchen-gardens ; fl. 

 and fr. May 1854. No. 1101. 



Goltjngo Alto. — Very common in places of cultivation and in waste 

 places, especially among crops of Phaseolus and Arachis hypogcea L., 

 which it smothers if neglected ; also in places far removed from human 

 habitations ; about Sange and in Luiz Gomes' garden, fl. and fr. March 

 and Sept. 1856 ; in the great field (Varzea grande) of the Ouango, fl. 

 and fr. March 1856. No. 1102. 



Pungo Andongo. — An annual, fleshy-succulent herb, nearly ubiqui- 

 tous in waste places, in dry fields and among crops ; stems and branches 

 sometimes prostrate, at other times copious and all erect, reddish ; 

 flowers yellow, fugacious ; petals 5, obovate, deeply emarginate at the 

 apex, almost bilobed. In both sterile and gravelly as well as cultivated 

 places, especially among culinary vegetables, about Caghuy and through- 

 out nearly the whole district : rather rare, however, in the direction of 

 Condo ; also frequently met with in places far removed from the 

 dwellings of men. Employed by the negroes as well as the colonists 

 as a pot-herb. Portuguese name " Beldroega " ; called by the negroes 

 " Jinbembe." At Pungo Andongo, fl. and fr. Feb. 1857. No. 1103. 



2. P. foliosa Ker, Bot. Reg. t. 793 (1824) ; Oliv., l.o. 

 Loanda. — A herb, 4 to 6 in. high, much branched at the rootstock, 



with ascending stems and fleshy hairy brittle leaves, or sometimes with 

 gradually glabrescent stems becoming woody towards the base. Occa- 

 sional in dry exposed rather gravelly places, above the city of Loanda, 

 near Museque de Luiz Gomes, fl. and fr. May and July 1 854. No. 1099. 

 Pungo Andongo. — A greenish-glaucous, hard, rigid herb, succulent 

 in the upper part, mostly ascending. Sparingly at the rocks by the 

 great cataract of the river Cuanza, near Condo, fr. March 1 857. No. 1104. 

 A prostrate, yellow-greenish herb, with fleshy leaves and yellowish 

 flowers. Abundant in sandy shortly grassy spots at the right bank of 

 the river Cuanza, near Sansamanda, fl. and fr. 7 Feb. 1857. No. 1105. 



3. P. quadrifida L. Mant. i. p. 73 (1767); Oliv., I.e., p. 149. 

 Loanda. — A fleshy herb, apparently persisting for several years ; 



rhizome polycephalous ; stems reddish, branched, rooting at the nodes, 

 creeping far forward, succulent ; the flowering branches erect, leafy ; 

 leaves opposite, ovate or ovate-oblong or rarely lanceolate, fleshy, 

 smooth-glaucous, very shortly petiolate, involved up to the middle with 

 white rather curly wool ; flowers sessile on the branches, terminal, half 

 concealed within the leaves and wool, yellow ; calyx disepalous ; seg- 

 ments widely ovate, whitish-membranous ; petals 4, scarcely ungui- 

 culate, patent, obovate-oblong, yellow, rather large in proportion to 

 the size of the plant ; stamens 12, half as high as the petals, erect, 

 filaments hyaline-pilose at the base ; style filiform, a little thickened 

 upwards and like the stamens yellow, a little taller than the stamens ; 

 stigmas 4, filiform-subclavate, patently recurved, densely papillose. 

 Occasional, in dry hilly stony exposed places, and rarer by maritime 

 rocks near Maianga del Rei, and in Praia de Zamba Grande (where a 

 variety with rose-coloured flowers was observed) ; fl. and fr. Dec. 1853, 

 March 1854, 3 Jan. 1859. No. 1100. Coll. Carp. 235. 



