1. The Empalement shewn from the inside.
2. The same shewn from the outside.
3. A Chive magnified.
4. The Pointals natural size.
5. The same, magnified.
This plant is herbaceous, and is found near the sea coast, in most parts of the world, within the tropics. It has a character common to many Genera of the natural order of succulents, such as Mesembryanthemum, Crassula, &c. that of an indeterminate number of pointals; which, in this genus, extend from three, to five, on different plants; this circumstance not having been sufficiently attended to has unfortunately occasioned some confusion. Brown in his Natural History of Jamaica has described it as growing on that Island, and with five pointals, therefore placed it to its right genus. Plumier, Sloane, &c. treated it as Portulaca, to which, as the genus now stands, it in no way affines. Læfling in his Iter Hispanicum, published in 1758, having found the plant in Spain with three pointals, immediately placed it to another genus, Halimum; upon whose authority, corroborated by Jacquin, (who acknowledges a variation in the number of pointals, on different plants, found in the different Caribee Islands,) Linnæus took up the plant, said to have but three pointals, under the title Sesuvium. As to the plant said to be cultivated by Miller in the Hort. Kew: under the last named genus, we have no difficulty in referring that, to the Aizoon canariense of the same work; as the time of flowering not being noticed, the distinction of character could not be observed, and the genus introduced, taken upon the gratis dictum of Miller. Burmann, in his Ed: of Rumphius’s plants of Amboyna, has it as Halimus; and Plukenet as Portulaca from East Indian specimens; with numbers of other Botanists from different parts; as Ægypt, the Canary Islands, &c. &c. under different names.
Seeds received from Spain of our plant were sown by Mr. Anderson in 1798, at the gardens of J. Vere, Esq. Kensington Gore; since which time, it has annually died to the ground, about November, and re-appeared in Spring; from this circumstance, the great delicacy of the plant, and having been treated as an annual, it has been repeatedly lost to this country; though so constantly introduced, in almost every parcel of seeds which arrives from either the East or West Indies. It may be increased by cuttings made early in the year, and put in a hot-bed to accelerate their growth, and should be planted in rich loamy earth. It flowers from July till September. To preserve it more than one year, it must be kept in the hot-house.[Pg 232]
