Talinum paniculatum
Content
Description
Erect semi-shrub up to c. 70 cm.
Leaves elliptic to obovate, up to 11 by 5 cm, acute to acuminate;
Sepals suborbicular, c. 1.1 mm, acute.
Petals (4-)5(-6), obovate, c. 4 by 2 mm, pink, apex emarginate.
Stamens (4-)15;
Fruit c. 3 mm ø, yellow or pink, 3-valved.
Seeds c. 1.2 mm ø;
Uses
Cultivated as an ornamental, and with edible leaves. According to HEYNE () a decoction of the roots is used by Chinese as a surrogate aphrodisiac.
Notes
1. My cultivated specimens had pink sepals, petals, filaments, and style. According to field-labels, there are in America also forms with white and yellow petals.
2. I received at the Leyden Hortus seed of obviously two strains (pure lines?) recognizable by the seed-coat; the one has small tubercles on the cells of the testa, the other has no such tubercles. Specimens raised from these two seed types in the glass-house of the Leyden Hortus on vegetable mould showed different characters, as tabulated below:
From the herbarium it appears that these 2 seed types occur almost throughout the range of the species. The correlating characters are difficult to observe in the herbarium, and besides are liable to be influenced by the ecology of the locality (leaves and panicle). There are no transitions and obviously these two strains keep constant as a sort of pure lines.
2. I received at the Leyden Hortus seed of obviously two strains (pure lines?) recognizable by the seed-coat; the one has small tubercles on the cells of the testa, the other has no such tubercles. Specimens raised from these two seed types in the glass-house of the Leyden Hortus on vegetable mould showed different characters, as tabulated below:
| Leaves up to 7 by 4 cm. | Leaves up to 11 by 5 cm. |
| Panicle c. 8 cm wide. | Panicle c. 15 cm wide. |
| Dichasia with up to 15 flowers. | Dichasia with up to 30 flowers. |
| Fruit reddish. | Fruit yellowish to olivegreen. |
From the herbarium it appears that these 2 seed types occur almost throughout the range of the species. The correlating characters are difficult to observe in the herbarium, and besides are liable to be influenced by the ecology of the locality (leaves and panicle). There are no transitions and obviously these two strains keep constant as a sort of pure lines.
Citation
POELLN. 1935 – In: Fedde, Rep. 35: 10
BACKER 1910: Ann. Jard. Bot. Btzg: 416
CRAIB 1925 – In: Fl. Siam. Enum.: 110
F. B. H. BROWN 1935 – In: Bern. P. Bish. Mus. Bull.: 77
MERR. & CHUN 1934 – In: Sunyatsenia: 56
HEYNE 1927: Nutt. Pl.: 612
F. M. BAILEY 1899 – In: Queensl. Fl.: 95
DRAKE DEL CAST. 1890: Ill. Fl. Ins. Mar. Pac.: III
HASSK. 1858: Hort. Bog.: 74
WILLD. 1911: Schoolfl.: 84
GREENWOOD 1949 – In: J. Arn. Arb.: 75
BACKER & BAKH.f. 1963 – In: Fl. Java: 217
A. C. SMITH 1943 – In: Bull. Torr. Bot. Club: 537