FLOKTJLA ADENENSIS. 15 



an oil procured from this species. In the Museum of Economic Botany 

 at Kew, there are specimens of an oil from the West Indies, Honduras, 

 and also from Madras, extracted from the seeds of M. pterygosperma, and 

 in every respect identical with the true Ben oil. In India the natives use 

 this hland inodorous oil for retaining the perfume of delicate flowers, such as 

 jasmine. It seems that both species therefore yield an oil similar in every 

 respect, but that Ben oil was originally obtained from M. aptera. This is 

 the more probable from " Ben, " or " Ban, " the Arabic name for the oil, 

 being coextensive in use with the geographical distribution of the Aden 

 species. In India the oil of M. pterygosperma is called " Soujhna," the 

 word " Ben" being there unknown. Linnaeus seems to have considered the 

 two as varieties of one species, as in the 3rd edition of the ' Specie! Plan- 

 tarum,' p. 546, under M. Zeylanica, he remarks, " Semina ex Asia tribus 

 membranis longitudinaliter alata fuere ; ex Africa vero membranis caruere." 



Ordo XIV. LEGUMLNOS^E. 



Subordo Papilionaceje. 

 1. Argtroloblum, Eck. et Zcy. 



A. Arabicum (Jaub. et Spach, III. PI. Or. i. p. 1 15). Ramis diffusis, gra- 

 cilibus, teretibus, pilis adpressibus sericeo-pilosis ; foliis trifoliolatis ; 

 foliolis plerumque linearibus, saepe ovatis, margine revolutis ; floribus 

 pedunculatis, petiolis brevioribus, bifloris; calyce adpresse sericeo, 

 segmentis lanceolatis, oblongis, acutis ; corollae vexillo subrotundo, 

 emarginato, alis cultriformibus, obtusis ; leguminibus linearibus, stri- 

 gosis, undulatis, rostratis, stylo persistente acuminatis ; seminibus 

 6-10, lenticularibus. — Cytisus Arabicus, Dene. Ann. Sc. Nat., ser. 2. 

 vol. iv. p. 78. 



Hab. Aden, rarissime (HooJc.Jil. et T!). 



Distr. In insula Neymen in Mare Rubro ! 



Suffrutex diffusus, ramosus, sericeo-pilosus. Foliola 2-6 lin. longa. 

 plerumque angusta, linearia; petiolus 4-6 lin. longus. Pedunculi 

 axillares, bracteolati. Bracteola parvae, lanceolatae. Corolla flava, 

 glabra, calyce longior, 3 lin. longa. Stamina 10, monadelpha. Stylus 

 filiformis, persistens, glaber. Legumen 1| uuc. longum, 1 lin. latum, 

 basi calyce persistente vestitum. 



Judging from the description only, A. Botta>, Jaub. et Spach, from Jed- 

 dah, is probably the same as this species. 



2. Iwdigofera, Linn. 



1. Arabica {Jaub. et Spach, III. PI. Or. v. t. 419). Argentea, sericea, 



ramulis diffusis; foliis 3-5- jugis vel trifoliolatis ; foliolis oblongis, obo- 



vatis, mucronulatis, oppositis, stipulis subulatis, minimis ; racemis axil- 



laribus, multifloris, foliis brevioribus ; calycibus profunde 5-fidis, seg- 



