P0RTULACA. 
303 
or bony, mostly 4-cornered horned or winged at the angles, 
1-9-celled indehiscent ; cells 1-seeded. — Herb, or suffrut. 
with flat succulent 1. and small inconspicuous axillary gr. fl. 
3. Aizoon. Cal. persistent 4-5-partite free. Pet. 0. Stam. 
about 20 in 3-5 bimdles, stigmas 5 sessile. Ov. free 5- 
angular. Caps, woody or bony 5-celled bursting hygro- 
metrically with 5 star-like clefts at top ; cells several or 
many-seeded. — Herb, or suflrut. with flat succulent 1. and 
gr. or pale often small axillary sessile fl. 
% 
1. PORTULACA L. 
Purslane. 
1. P. OLERACEA L. 
St. prostrate or procumbent ; 1. fleshy wedge-shaped or ob- 
long-spathulate, axils shortly fringed or bearded ; fl. sessile in- 
conspicuous. — Brot. ii. 257 ; Buch 197. no. 369 ; DC. iii. 353 ; 
Seub. Fl. Azor. 45. no. 328. — Herb. ann. Mad. reg. 1, 2, c. PS. 
r. Sum. Aut., but at most seasons. — Varr. : 
a. sylvestris DC. 1. c. ; WB. i. 169. P. oleracea Koch 278. St. 
prostrate, sep. simply keeled. In bare open places, streets, roads, 
walks and paths about Funchal, &c. Cal. bivalve compressed 
beak-shaped or lepadiform ; sep. boat-shaped sharply but simply 
keeled at the back tightly closing over the caps. Pet. usually 
abortive. 
/3. sativa DC. 1. c. P. sativa Koch 178. P. oleracea DC. 
PL Gr. t. 123. St. ascending or diffuse, sep. membranous- 
winged. Amongst other herbage, in vineyards, gardens, waste 
ground by roadsides or in dry ditches about Funchal, Machico, 
&c., a common weed. Merely a more luxuriant form or state 
of a, from soil or situation larger in all its parts. Cal. as in a, 
but larger and with the keel of sep. membranous-bordered up- 
wards. Pet. usually developed. 
Whole pi. succulent smooth and shining, often altogether red 
or purple. St. in a. 2-4, in (3. 6-8 in. long. L. in a. |— |, in /3. 
g-1^ in. long thick fleshy obtuse or rounded at the end, at- 
tenuated downwards, more or less fasciculate towards the ends 
of the branches, very variable both in size and shape. Fl. sessile 
solitary or agglomerate in the axils of the upper 1. Cal. of 2 
unequal gr. compressed keeled boat-shaped sep. Pet. y. with a 
shining silk} r gloss, very frail and delicate, a little longer than 
the cal., often subabortive or at least not expanding except in a 
hot sun and for a few hours only in the morning, always closing 
and withering before noon. Seeds numerous minute orbicular- 
spiral with the radicle prominent like a minute depressed or 
discoidal shell, most elegantly grooved and granulated spirally, 
black and shining. — Occasionally used as a potherb. 
