PePLIS PoRTULA, WATER PuRSLANi. 



PEPLIS Lin. Gen. PI: HexAndria monogynia. 



Perianth, campanulatum : ore 12-fIdo. Petala 6, calyci inlerta. Cap/. z-locWAii 

 Rail Sym Gen. 25. Herb^e hexapetal^e et polypet al^e vasculifer^. 

 PEPLIS Portula floribus apetalis. Lin. Syjl: Vegetab. p. 283. Sp. Ph p. 474. Pi. Smb. 11: 311. 

 PEPLIS petalis feflis, fepiffime apetaiai llaller: Hi/?, n. 856«. 

 ALSINE paluftris minor ferpyllifolia. Bauh.pin. 120. 

 ANAGALIilS Serpyllifolia aquatica. 1. B. III. p. 372. 

 GLAUX aquatica folio fubrotundo: Loefel. p. 106. ic. 20. 

 GLAUX alters fubrotundo folio. Boccone t. 84. Vaillant. Bot. par. t. 1 e. f. e a 

 GLAUCOIDES paluftre portulacas folio, purpureo flore. Michel p. 21. t. 18- 

 PORTULA. Dlllen. Nov-. PL Gen. p. 133. t. 7. 

 ALSINE rotundifolia f Portulaca aquatica. Ger. em. 614. 



ALSINE aquatica minor folio oblongo f. Portulaca aquatica. Park. 1260. Raii Syn p. 368 Water 

 Purflane. Hudfon. PL Angl. ed. p. 147. Lightfoot PI. Scot. p. 187. 



RADIX annua, flbrofa. |ROOT annual and fibrous, 



CAULIS palmans et ultra, tetragonus, repens, ramofus, | STALK a hand's breadth or more in length fauare- 

 ^tta ' laEV1 r rub ^ ndll S §emCulat , US ' _ _ I creeping, branched, fniooth and A ' ' 



FOLIA oppofita, fubrotunda, petiolata, mtegemma, | LEAVES oppofite, roundifh, {landing; on foot-ftalks 

 glabra, nervo medio rubicundo. * perfedly entire, fmotith and mining, the mid- 



. I rib reddifti. 



FLORES oppofiti, axillares, feffiles, minimi. ? FLOWERS oppofite, in the alse of the leaves^ feffile 



I and very fmall. 



CALYX: Perianthium monophyllum, campanula- f CALYX : a Perianthium of one leaf bell-fhaped 

 turn, perfiftens, maximum, ore duodecimndo, | permanent, very large (in proportion to the 



denticuhs alternis mmonbus, reflexis. fig. 1. | petals), the mouth cut into five fegments, of 



I which the alternate ones are leaft and turned 



I back. fig. i. 



COROLLA : Petala raro fex,ovata, minutiffima, rofea, % COROLLA : Petals feldom fo many as fix* ovate verv 

 calycis fauci mferta. Jig. 2. -■ | fmall, rofe- coloured, inferted into the mouth 



■% of the calyx. Jig. 2. 



STAMINA : Filamenta fex, fubulata, brevia. An- | STAMINA : fix Filaments, tapering and fliort- An- 

 thers fubrotunda. Jig. 3. | THERiE r0U ndiih. Jig. ct. 

 PISTILLUM: Germen ovatum. Stylus breviffimus. | PISTILLUM : Germen ovate. Style very {hort 



Stigma orbiculatum. Jig. 4. | Stigma round. Jig. 4. 



PERICARPIUM: Capsula fubrotunda, bilocularis, % SEED-VESSEL : a roundim Capsule of two cavities 

 „™ „k T > te » u ! flima » Pellucida. Jig. 5. I extremely thin and pellucid. Jig. c. * 



SEMINA plunma, minima, albida, angulata. Jig, 6, | SEEDS numerous, very minute, whitiih and angular. 



. Th< ; ""serous fynonyms prefixed to the defcription of this plant mew in what a variety of lights it has been 

 viewed by different . Botanifts Thofe of early times called it Atfme, as they did almoft every plant who fe parts of 

 iructification were fmall, and which bore the moft diftant fimilitude to Chick-weed, 



Micheli and Dillenius in their refpedive Nova Genera wrought much reformation in thefe minute plants : and 

 if they did not arrive at the ultimatum of defcription and figure, they paved the way to it 



The Palis Portula is a very common plant in pools of water that are apt to be dried up in the fummer, particu- 

 larly on heaths. It flowers from June to Auguft. Its petals are very minute, and frequently fall fliort ■ of their 

 proper number. . * 



