67 
PEPEROMIA PERESKI^FOLIA. 
Pereskia-leaved Peperomia. 
DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA—Nat. Ord. PIPERACEJE, Humb. et Kunth. 
Gen. CnxK-^Spadix cylindraceus, floribus undique tectus. Fkyres herma- 
phroditi, singulus squama suffultus. Stamina duo. Antherce uniloculares. 
Stigma indivisum. Bacca monosperma.-— TTaw/A. 
Vei^Tomm peresUafolia; caule erectiusculo, foliis ter senisque obova- 
tis acutis petiolatis trinerviis carnosis glabris, spadice terminali soli- 
tario. 
P. pereskiaefolia, Kunth, Syn. PL Mquin. Orb. Nov. v. i. p. 120.— Humb. et 
Kunth, Nov. Gen. et Sp. v. i. p. 56. 
Piper pereskiaefolium, J acq. Coll. v. iv. p. 352.— Ic. Rar. v. ii. t. 212.— 
WiLLD. Sp. PL V. i. p. 167.— Vahl, Enmn. v. i. p. 352.— R(em. et Schultz, 
V. 1. p. 329 — Haw. Saxifr. Emm. &c. (1821) P. II. p. 3. 
Stems a foot or more in height, nearly erect, di- or trichotomously branched, 
striated, brownish-green, succulent, throwing out the rudiments of roots 
at the insertion of the leaves. Leaves two or three inches long, verticil- 
late, from three to six in a whorl, obovate, acute, carnose, glabrous and 
dark green above, below paler and three-nerved; the base running down 
into a footstalk, which is about half as long as the lamina. 
Spadix five or six inches in length, pedunculate. Peduncles cylindrical, gla- 
brous. Florets numerous, but not very closely placed. Scale peltate, 
ovato-elliptical. A?ither oblong, yellow, tapering down into a very short 
footstalk. Pollen white, minute, spherical. Germen small, obovate. 
Sttgma minute, appearing glandular when viewed under the microscope. 
Jacquin first described this species of Peperomia, as an 
inhabitant of the island of Veneznela, and Humboldt after- 
wards as being frequent near Caraccas and Cumana in South 
America, both in hot (calidis) and in temperate situations, at an 
elevation of between 30 and 300 toises, flowering in January 
VOL. I , 
