ipomu^:a 



IRESINE 



SI!) 



(])Oth an O. panduratus). B.K. 7:588. — In some places 

 this species is a very troiiblesouie weed, which is almost 

 impossible to exterminate because of its lon^' tuberous 

 roots. It can easily be kept within bounds in the gar- 

 den with a little care, and makes a very desirable plant 

 for covering an old dead stump or back fence. The 

 chief merit of /. panditrata as a garden plant is its har- 

 diness; hence it is often sold as the "Hardy" or "Per- 

 ennial Moontlower." II: well niuhdied the roots will stand 

 20*^ below zero. There is a double-fid. form. 



19. L6ari, Past. Blue Dawn Flower. 8teiu a very 

 rapid grower, often 3U-40 ft. long, somewhat slirul^by at 

 the base: Ivs. 3-tJ in. long, cordate, acute, mostly entire 

 or slightly ;j-lobed, variable: tls. borne in clusters of 12- 

 .■JO, opening in succession ; corolla 4-5 in. broad, bell- 

 shaped, deep lilac, sometimes dark purple with live 

 lighter plaits. Very beautiful. Aug. -Oct. Troi)i('.s of 

 both hemispheres. P.M. 4:2(;7. B.M. 3928 (as Pharhi- 

 fis Leari ). B.Ii. 27 :50 f as Pha rhifis Pearl ) . - A maguif- 

 icent species for the warmliouse, but not usually satis- 

 factory outside, at least in the North. One plant is on 

 record as producing 00,000 tls. at the rate of 300 a day. 

 When grown in the open the tls. are likely to be an un- 

 attractive coppery jmrple. 



20. Jalapa, Pursh (T. Michaaxl, Sweet). Steni 0-8 

 ft. high, branched, slightly rough, springing fmm an 

 oblong root weighing 4-30 lbs. : Ivs. 3-5 in. long, ovate- 

 cordate, membranaceous, veiny, repandor deeply lobed, 

 pubescent beneath, variable : Us. 3-4 in. wide, the corolla 

 bowl-shaped, with a narrow tube, rose, white orrose-purple. 

 Aug. -Oct. Mex. L. B.C. 0:518 (as ConvoIviiJusP<t/aji<i). 

 B.M. 1572 (as Convolvulus Julupa). B.U. 4:342; 8:021. 

 — Avery ornamental warmhouse climber and valuable for 

 the garden if the tubers are started in the greenhouse 

 before being set out ; otherwise the plant seldom 

 blooms much before frost. The "Jalap "of commerce 

 does not come from this plant, but from /. Purga. The 

 roots of /. Jalapa are but sliglitly purgative. 



21. B6na-n6x, Linn. Moonflower. Fig. 1170. Stem 

 10-20 ft. high: Ivs. 3-8 in. long, cordate to hastate, en- 

 tire, angular or 3-lobed, acute, glabrous: peduncles 2-G 

 in. long, 1-7-fld., equaling the petioles: corolla 3-0 in. 

 long, 4—0 in. wide, trumpet-shaped, pure white, some- 

 times with greenish plaits: tls. fragrant, usually clos- 

 ing in the morning, sometimes remaining open till noon. 

 Aug. -Sept. American and Asiatic tropics. B. M. 752. 

 P.. R. 11:889 (as J. latiflom). On. 21, p. 259; 27, p. 473. 

 V. 10: 359. Known in gardens chiefly as var. grandifldra, 

 Hort. (7. grandiflora , Roxb. and Hort., not Lam.), 

 wiiich does not differ materially from the type. I\Iost of 



the large-fld. and very 

 fragrant forms in culti- 

 vation may be referred 

 here; the smaller forms 

 are probably /, firandi- 

 flora, Lam. Var. grandi- 

 flora is also sold under 

 the following names: /. 

 fliildsii, T. uocfiph>/('i)i , 

 /. noctiflora , I . Me.ri- 

 rit na g r a nd i fl o r a , /. 

 Mexicauii gravdiflora 

 alba, T. M e x tea n a 

 grandiflora vera. These 

 various trade names 

 represent strains of va- 

 rying excellence. A form 

 with variegated Ivs. is 

 offered. The Moonflower 

 is most popular as a gar- 

 den plant, but it also does 

 well trained along the 

 roof of a low house or 

 against a pillar. It is 

 excellent for cut-flowers in the evening. 



22. grandifldra, Lam. (Oalonf/cfion grand/floruti), 

 Chois. I. Bona-n6x, Hort., not Linn.). Differs from 

 [, Bona-nox in having the stem usually covered with 

 short, sharp points : Ivs. smaller, entire : peduncle much 

 shorter {usually 1-2 in.) : fls. not over 3 in. wide; sepals 

 elliptic, obtuse (in /. Bona-nox ovate, mucronate) : seeds 

 shortly villose, with shaggy margins (in /. Bona-nox 



..-3?^ 



1170. Ipomcea Bona-nox (a ^4^. 



•smootli). Cdsiuop, trop. — Someof the interior strain.s 

 passiug as /. Bonii-noj: and its synonyms belong hero. 



23. chrys^ides, Ker. Stemslightly woody, much twin- 

 iiig, smooth or branches slightly hairy : Its. l-2in. long, 

 ovate-cordate to subhastate, acute, entire or toothed, :{- 

 angled, ij-lobed anil repand : peduncles 1-7-fld., longer 

 tinxn the petioles: corolla J^-M in. wide, funnel-shaped. 

 •Jiily-Oct. Trop. Asia and Africa. B.R. 4:270. -It can 

 lie grown out-of-doors, but is tardy in blooming. Best 

 treated as a warmhouse evergreen climber. /. (lin/scidis 

 is advertiseil abroad. /. i-hri/sihithu , Hort., described in 

 American catalogues as h.aving ricdi, glossy foliage and 

 golden yellow Hs., may belong here. 



24. Pes-capree, Roth (7. marilima, K. Br.). Stem 

 creeping, seldom twining, 20-(i0 ft.: roots often 12 ft. 

 l"iig and 2 in. thick: Ivs. 1-4 in. long, fleshy, roundish, 

 id'ten broader than long, with 2 glands at the base and 

 jM-ominently pinnate-veined: peduncles usually few-tld., 

 c'lnaling the petioles : corolla nearly 2 in. long, bcll- 

 sluiped, margin scarcely lobed. Aug. -Oct. Trop. Cciasts 

 of both hemispheres; drifting sands of coast, (la. to 

 Tex. B.K. 4:31',). 



2.5. Batitas, Poir. {Jjntatas i'diili.i,Ch(ns.). Sweet Po- 

 ■I'.vro. Lvs. ovate-cordate, usually angular or lobed, 

 variable, petioled: peduncles equafing or exceeding the 

 pi-tioles, several-fld.: corolla 1-2 in. vide. Origin un- 

 known, unless it be from /. fnxliiinthi of tropical 

 Aujerica.— Largely cultivated in many varieties for its 

 edil>le tubers. See Sweet Potato. 



2ii. Ptirga, Hayne. Lvs. sagittate-cordate, smooth : 

 peduncles generally 1-fld., longer than the petioles: Hs. 

 rose-purple ; corolla long-tulmlar, with a flat lind). 

 Sept. -Oct. Trop. Amer. B.R. 33:49 (as Exogoniinii 

 Purga). — The "Jalap "of commerce is an active purga- 

 tive made by grinding to a powder dried slices of the 

 tuberous roots of this species. It was principally col- 

 lected near Xalapa, Mex., of which-Ialap is acorruption. 



27. ■Wolcottiana, Rose. Tree, 25-30 ft. high, often 1 ft. 

 through, with slemler, slightly drooping branches: lvs. 

 ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 3-5 in. long, smooth: fls. nu- 

 merous, in short racemes or corymbs ; coi-olla about 

 2^2 in. broad, white, broadly bell-shaped. Mex. (i.F. 

 7: 305. — Seeds do not germinate readily. 



7. aurea.KeWo^g. Lvs. trifoliolate or quin.ite, the leaflet srliom- 

 l)ic, entire, sub-repand: tls. 2-4 in. across, funneil'orm, whli ;i 

 widel.v exp.inded limb, t,'olden yelluw. Cal. After Xo. 1:^ in key. 



S. AV. Fr.ETCHEK. 



IKEStNE (Greek name for a harvest garland wound 

 with wool : the flowers and seeds of these plants are 

 woolly). Amui-antileeie. Achyranthes. From 20 to 25 

 species of herbs or subshrubs, in tropical and sub- 

 tropical Anier. Lvs. stalked, opposite, the margins not 

 toothed in the domestic species : fls. very small, bracte- 

 ate, in axillary or terminal panicles, perfect or imperfect 

 (plants sometimes dicecious), the perianth of one series 

 terete, 5-parted, with ovate-oblong segments ; stamens 

 5 ; style short or none, the stigmas 2 or 3 : fr. a utricn- 

 lus. Two or three species are in common cultivation as 

 bedding plants, because of their highly colored Ivs. and 

 stems. The first of these to be introduced was described 

 before the fls. were known anil it was referred to Achy- 

 ranthes {A. i'erschatf'^ltit) ,l)\it in that genus the anthers 

 are 2-Ioculed, whereas in Iresiue they are 1-loculed. To 

 gardeners they are still known as Achyranthes. 



Because of ease of propagation, ability to withstand 

 sun and shearing, and the bright colors, the Iresines are 

 amongst the most popular bedding plants. Few plants 

 are easier to grow. Stock plants are kept overwinter in 

 a cool temperature (as in a carnation house), and in Feb- 

 ruary and March they are given more heat and moisture, 

 and cutback, to get cutting wood. Cuttings root quickly 

 in any good cutting-l>ed. For mass bedding, plants are 

 usually set C-10 in. apart. They will not withstand frost. 



H6rbstii, Hook. t.{Achi/rdnthe.'> Versehaffeltii, Lem.). 

 Lvs. broadly ovate or orbicular, obtuse and notched at 

 the apex, purple-red, with prominent arched veins, or 

 in the commoner variety green or .green-red with yellow 

 veins (var. aitreo-reticiilrlta). S. Amer. B.M. 5499.— 

 This was described and figured in August, 1864, by Le- 

 maireas^f/i.vraH?7i(>s(.') Ver.'ichaffeltii (I.H. 11:409), and 

 later by Van Houtte as fnsine VcrxrhaffeUil (F.S. 



