PERI P L O C A, 625 
over the ftignja; with lateral cells. Pollen-bags five, at 
the notches of the ftigma, each common to two anthers. 
Piftillum : germs two, ovate, approximating. Styles uni¬ 
ted at top. Stigma capitate, convex, five-cornered, with 
the corners notched. Pericarpium : follicles two, large, 
oblong, ventricofe, one-celled,one-val ved, glued together 
at the tip. Seeds very many, imbricated, crowned with 
a down. Receptacle longitudinal, filiform. The above 
character is taken from P. graeca.— EJfential Character. 
Neftary encircling the genitals, and putting forth five 
threads. There are fourteen fpecies. 
i. Periploca graeca, common periploca ; otherwifeclimb- 
ing dog’s-bane, or Virginian (ilk : flowers internally hir- 
fute, terminating; corolla hairy on the upper fide; 
leaves ovate, acute. Native of hedges and thickets in 
the Levant. Dr. Sibthorp gathered it on Mount Athos 
and near Prufa, Gerarde had the plant in 1597. “My 
loving friend,” fays he, “John Robin, herbarift in Paris, 
did fend me plants for my garden, where they flower and 
flourifh.” He calls it climing dog's-lane; and it has 
ever lince been cultivated in England, as a hardy climber, 
flowering plentifully in July and Auguft; and diftin- 
guifhed by the name of Virginian Jilk. Lord Bute fent a 
defcription of this periploca, as a new genus, without any 
idea of its being a defcribed plant, to Peter Collinfon, 
which the latter forwarded to Linnaeus. The Item twines 
round every thing in its way to the extent of feveral 
yards, and is much branched, round, and fmooth. 
Leaves oppofite, on fliort ftalks, ovate, (harp-pointed, en¬ 
tire, fmooth and (hining, very beautiful, two or three 
inches long, deciduous; the lowermoft on each branch 
fliort, rounded, and obtufe. Flowers corymbofe, at the 
ends of fliort lateral branches, inodorous, Angularly ele¬ 
gant, with a velvet foftnefs, each an inch in diameter; 
purple within, yellowifli at the tips. It is cultivated in 
France to adorn arbours and walls, as its numerous 
purple flowers are very ornamental. It is not ufed in 
medicine; but is confidered as a poifon for deftroying 
dogs and wolves; hence the old name of “ dog’s-bane.” 
This pretty climber is reprefented on the preceding En¬ 
graving, (p. 618.) at fig. 3. the calyx and piftil at fig. 4. 
the petal detached, with a filament, at fig. 5. and the cap- 
fule which enclofed the feed at fig. 6. 
1. Periploca fecamone, or green periploca : flowers in¬ 
ternally hirfute, panicled ; leaves lanceolate-elliptic. 
Stem twining, (hrubby, even. Leaves oppofite, petioled, 
even, underneath paler, veined tranfverfely. Flowers 
fmall. It differs at firft fight from the preceding in its 
fmall copious flowers. Said to be a native of Egypt, but 
its place of growth is uncertain. It was cultivated in 
1775, by John Fothergill, M. D. It flowers in July. 
3. Periploca laevigata, or fmooth periploca : corollas 
fmooth, with blunt fegments; cymes trichotomous; 
leaves oblong-lanceolate, veined, even; ftem fmooth. 
Native of the Canary iflands, where it was found by 
Maffon. Introduced in 1779. 
4. Periploca anguftifolia, or narrow-leaved periploca : 
corollas fmooth ; fegments emarginate ; cymes trichoto¬ 
mous; leaves lanceolate, veinlefs, even; ftem fmooth. 
Stem frutefcent, from three to five feet high, upright, 
branched, fometimes fcandent by the top. Though very 
like the preceding, yet it is fufficiently diltind from it, by 
its narrower veinlefs leaves, and the emarginate fegments 
of the corolla. Found by Labillardiere near Laodicea 
by the fea, and in the ifland Lampedofa ; by Desfon- 
taines on Mount Atlas; alfo on Mount Sbibel Ifchel, in 
the kingdom of Tunis. 
5. Periploca efculenta, or efculent periploca : corollas 
fmooth, wheel-fliaped; racemes axillary; leaves linear- 
lanceolate, veined. Native of bufliy places, near rivers 
and pools, in Ceylon and Malabar. Koenig, who fent 
fine fpecimens to Linnaeus, has written on one of them 
that “ the plant is efculent, and called ufepale in the 
Tamul language.” Dr. Roxburgh could not find that it 
was eaten by the people, at lealt of the Malabar coaft. 
He gives oudy-palla as its name among the Telingas, and 
remarks that cattle eat it. The root is fibrous, and pe¬ 
rennial, as well as the twining, (lender, fmooth, round, 
branching ftems. The leaves and flowers are produced 
during the rainy feafon ; the former are oppofite, ftalked, 
above two inches long, linear lanceolate, acute, entire, 
fmooth, fingle-ribbed, light green, rounded at the bafe, 
deciduous. Flowers the fize of thofe of Primula auri¬ 
cula, of fome of whofe moll beautiful varieties they give 
no very remote idea, but their fegments are much more 
acute : their colour is a pale bluifh, with crimfon veins, 
a purple eye, and a mixture of green and white in the 
centre: they are well deferving, therefore, of a place in 
the flower-garden, though they have no (cent. See the 
annexed Plate. 
This (with the following) is made a diftin£i genus by 
Mr. Brown in the Wern. Tranf. vol. i. and in his Prodr. 
Nov. Holl. vol. i. He calls his genus Oxyftelma, from 
the Gr. o| v$, (harp, and re^pa., for rs/z/za, a crown ; be- 
caufe the crown of the ftamens coniifts of five acute 
leaves. 
6. Periploca carnofa, or flefhy periploca : leaves nearly 
oval, pointed. Segments of the corolla linear. Native 
of the tropical part of New Holland, where it was ob- 
ferved by Mr. Brown. The ftems are twining, herba¬ 
ceous ; leaves flefhy, fmooth, oppofite. Flowers in um¬ 
bellate (talked ^clufters, from between the leaf-ftalks. 
Mr. Brown remarks, that this New-Holland fpecies is fo 
very different from the Eaft-Indian one, he is inclined to 
think they ought to be different genera. Prod. Nov. 
Holt. i. 462. 
7. Periploca emetica, or emetic periploca: corollas 
fmooth ; corymbs few-flowered, axillary ; leaves linear- 
lanceolate, veinlefs. Stem (hrubby, with diffufed rod¬ 
like even branches. Flowers fmall, fmooth. Native of 
the Eaft Indies, at the foot of mountains. Koenig fent 
it from Tranquebar, Thunberg fays that the root is 
ufed as an emetic in the Eaft Indies. 
8 . Periploca Indica, orlndian periploca: fpikes axillary, 
imbricated; leaves elliptic, obtufe, mucronate; ftem 
fmooth. Stem twining, round. Leaves oppofite, fmooth, 
quite entire, on very fliort petioles: from the axils of 
them, fimple fpikes.come out imbricated with (harp fcales. 
According to Burman, the ftem is afti-coloured, rugged 
with many very fmall tubercles. A pair of leaves from 
each joint, almoft feflile, bright-green above, pale and 
a(h-coloured underneath, obiong, acute, entire, veined ; 
at the axils of thefe there are many flowers fitting clofe. 
Native of the ifland of Ceylon. 
9. Periploca capfularis, or New-Zealand periploca: 
leaves lanceolate, quite entire, oppofite; cymes axillary, 
diffufed. Native of New Zealand. 
10. Periploca Africana, or African periploca: leaves 
ovate,acute; flowers corymbed; ftem hirfute. This has many 
(lender ftalks, which twine about each other, and by a flint b 
or other fupport will rife near three feet high, putting 
out feveral fmall fide-branches: thefe are hairy, as are 
.alfo the leaves, which are about three quarters of an inch 
long, and half an inch broad, (landing by pairs upon very 
fliort footftalks. The flowers come out in fmall bunches 
from the lide of the ftalks; they are fmall, of a dull pur¬ 
ple colour, and have a fweet fcent. It flowers in the fum- 
rner, but does not produce feeds here. Native of the 
Cape of Good Hope. Cultivated by Mr. Miller in 
1726. 
j 3 . There is a variety of it with fmooth leaves and 
ftalks, from the fame country. 
xi. Periploca tunicata: leaves oblong, lieart-fliaped, 
acuminate; flowers umbelled. Sent by Koenig from 
Tranquebar. 
12. Periploca fylveftris : leaves roundi(h-ovate, netted- 
veined, pubefcent underneath; flowers umbelled. Na¬ 
tive of the Eaft-Indies ; found by Koenig. 
13. Periploca Cochinchinenfis: ftem aboreous; leaves 
fleftiy; racemes terminating. This is a middle-fized tree 
with 
