398 



LEGUMINOSiE. CCXXIX. Desmanthus. 



Sect. I. Neptu^nia (so called on account of the species con- 

 tained in this section being Tnhabitants of lakes and ponds). 

 Lour. coch. p. 654. D, C. legum. mem. xii. prod. 2. p. 441. 

 Legume oblong, 4-6-seeded, broadest at the base. Sterile fila- 

 ments all petaloid. — Prostrate, usually rooting, aquatic herbs, 

 furnished with bipinnate leaves, which are sensible to the touch, 



stems sufFruticose, prostrate ; leaves with 2 pairs of pinnse ; pe- 

 tiole bearing one gland at the apex ; spikes capitate, few-flow- 

 ered ; flowers decandrous ; legume narrow, linear. T2 . S. Na- 

 tive of Peru, near Moche, and of Guadaloupe. Kunth, mim. p. 

 115. t. 35. nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 262.. Mimosa depressa, Poir. 

 suppl. 1. p. 58. Flowers white. 



as those of the sensitive plants, and axillary solitary peduncles. Depressed Desmanthus. Shrub prostrate. 



Leaves with 2-3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 10-12 pairs " 



of leaflets. 



1 D. LAcu'sTRis (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1044.) stems creeping, 



terete ; leaves with 3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing many 



pairs of leaflets ; peduncles bracteate ; spikes of flowers ovate. 



1/ . W. S. Native of South America, near Mompox, floating in 



Mimosa la- 



Ma^ 



ciistris, Humb. et Bonpl. pi. equin. 1. t. 16. 

 Pers. ench. no. 58. 



Mimosa aqiiatica, 

 Sterile stamens white tipped with yellow. 

 Lake Desmanthus. Fl. July. Clt. 1818. PI. fl. 



2 D. na'tans (Willd. 1. c.) stems terete, creeping, inflated in pinna bearing 16-20 pairs of linear, acute, ciliated leaflets, with 

 parts; leaves with 2-3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing many 



8 D. DiFFu'sus (Willd. 1. c.) stems suffruticose, prostrate; 

 leaves with 4-5 pairs of pinnae; spikes capitate, few-flowered; 

 flowers pentandrous ; legumes narrow, linear. T2.S. Native 

 of New Andalusia, in shady places near Cumana. H. B. et 

 Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 262. Mimosa Pernarabucana, Lin. 

 spec. 1503.— Pluk. phyt, t. 307. f. 3. Very nearly allied to 

 the following species. Flowers white. 



Diffuse Desmanthus. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1731. Sh. pros. 



9 D. leftopiiy'llus (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 264.) stems sufFruticose ; leaves with G-7 pairs of pinnae, eacl 



pairs of leaflets ; spikes of flowers ovate ; peduncles naked, or 



0. W.S. Native of the East 



only furnished with onebractea. 



Jndies and Cochin-china, floating in stagnant water. Mimosa na- white. 



a gland seated on the petiole between the lower pair of pinnae ; 



heads few-flowered ; flowers decandrous ; legumes linear, elon- 



Flowers 



gated. 



T2 . S. Native of Cumana, near Bordones. 



.tans, Roxb. cor. 2. t. 119. Andr. bot. rep. 629. Neptiinia oleri- 



cea, Lour. coch. p. 804. Mimosa prostrata. Lam. diet. 1. p. 10. 



Pluk. aim. t. 307. f. 4. — Rheed, mal. t. 20. Sterile stamens 

 yellow. 



Floating Desmanthus. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1800. PI. fl. 

 . 3 D. STOLONIFER (D. C. prod. 2. p. 444.) stems terete, creep- 

 ing; leaves with 2-3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing many 

 pairs of leaflets ; spikes of flowers nearly globose ; peduncles long, 

 naked, or furnished with one bractea in the middle. % . W. H. 

 Native of Senegal, floating in stagnant water. The plant throws 

 out large branched roots. Stamens long, petaloid. Mimosa 

 stolonifera, Perr. in litt. Mimosa aquatica, Bade in litt. 



Slender -leavedJie^\nBX\\\\ViS. Shrub \\ foot. 



10 D. viRGA^TUs (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1047. exclusive of the 

 synonymes of Pluk. and Rheed.) stems suffruticose, erect, an- 

 gular ; leaves with 3-4 pairs of pinnae, with a gland situated be- 

 tween the lower pair; peduncles naked ; spikes few-flowered, 

 capitate ; flowers decandrous ; legume narrow, linear, 25-30- 

 seeded. T2 . S. Native of the East Indies. Mimosa virgata, 

 Lin. spec. 1502. Jacq. hort. vind. t. 80. Sims, bot. mag. 2151. 



Flowers white. Anthers yellow. 



Clt. 1774. Shrub 1 



Twiggy Desmanthus, 

 to 2 feet. 



Fl. June, Aug. 



ffru- 



11 D. sTRi'cTUs (Bertol. vir. bon. 1824. p. 49.) stem su 

 ticose, erect, angular ; leaves with 2-3 pairs of pinnae, with a 

 4 D. polypiiy'llus (D. C. prod. 2. p. 444.) stem erect? an- gland seated on the petiole beneath the lower pair; peduncles 



Stolon^hearing Desmanthus. 



PI. fl. 



gular ; leaves with 4 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing many 



pairs of leaflets; peduncles furnished with 2 bracteas each; gume narrow, linear, 15-20-seeded. Ij . S. 



naked; spikes capitate, few-flowered; flowers decandrous; le- 



Native of the 



spikes of flowers ovate. 7/. W.S. Native country unknown. West Indies.' Mimosa angustisiliqua. Lam. diet. L P- ^°- 

 Leaflets 30-40 pairs. Legume oval-oblong, tapering into a stipe Flowers white. Very like D. virgatus according to Bess. cat. 



hort. crem. 1816. p. 49. of which it is perhaps only a variety. 

 Straight-^icmmeA. Desmanthus. Fl. June, Aug- Clt. ISOO. 

 5 D. TRiQUETRus (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1045 ) stems prostrate, Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



at the base, 5-see(led. 



PI. fl. 



cpmpressed, triquetrous at the base ; leaves with 2-3 pairs of 12 D. puncta'tus (Willd. 1. c) stem suffruticose, erect ; ica^w 



pinnse, each pinna bearing 12 pairs of leaflets; spikes of flowers with 4-5 pairs of pinuce, with a gland situated on the petiole 



^obose ; peduncles furnished with 2 deciduous bracteas. 1/ . beneath the lower pair ; spikes of flowers ovate ; peduncles fur- 



W. S. Native of the East Indies. Mimosa triquetra, Vahl. nished with deciduous bracteas at the base ; flowers decandrous; 



symb. 3. p. 101. Mimosa natans, Lin. fih suppl. 439. 



_ . , legume linear-oblong, rather oblique at the base, hardly » times 



rr^Mc^roMs-stemmed Desmanthus. Fl.July. Clt. 1820. PI. fl. longer than broad. ^. S. Native of Jamaica, St. Domingo, 



and Guadaloupe. Mimosa punctata, Lin. spec. 1502.— Comi". 

 hort. 1. t. 31. Flowers white. The lejrume has the form_oi 



C D. PLE Nus (Willd. spec. 1. c.) stems prostrate, compressed ; 



leaves with 2-4 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 12 pairs of 

 leaflets; peduncles bracteate. 0. W. S. 



about Vera Cruz, in water. Mimosa plena, Lin. spec. 1502. 

 Mill. fig. t. 182. f. 2. Banks, rel. Houst. t. 23. Bracteas 2 on 

 each 



Native of Mexico, those species contained in the section Neptunia, but It contains 



peduncle, broad, ovate-lanceolate, acuminated. Flowers to 3 feet. 



from 12-15 seeds as in those of the present section 

 Dotted Desmanthus. FL June. Julv. Clt. 168G. 



Fl. June, July. 



Shrub 3 



white and yellow. 

 Full Desmanthus. 



Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1733. PL fl. 



1 



Sect. II. Desma'nthea (an alteration from the generic name). 

 ,D. C. legum. mem. xii. prod. 2. p. 444. Legumes linear, 10-15- 

 seeded. Sterile stamens almost filiform. Neuter flowers usually 

 apetalous. — Shrubs or subshrubs, with leaves which are not sen- 

 sible to the touch as those of the last section. Leaves bipinnate, 

 with from 2-5 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing from 12-15 

 pairs of leaflets. .^i , ; v"^'" "*^j — ' — ' /*' ;» *„/) co- 



7 D. .....-«,, (H„™b. et Bo„pl. in Wn.O. .pec. 4, p. I.«.) W^Zt. r^Sfr^^fr.lll^t^Sr^lrol'lun.en.)- 



13 D. tene'llus (D. C. prod. 2. p. 445.) stems rather diffuse , 

 eaves with 3-4 pairs of pinnse, having a gland situated on i 

 petiole heneath the lower pair ; peduncles naked, shorter tn. 

 the petioles ; legume linear, 10-12-seeded, hardly 5 times long 

 than the breadth. ^ . S. Native of the East Indies. l^eg»n 

 3-9 lines long, and 2 lines broad. 



fVeak Desmanthus. Shrub 1 foot. 



Sect. III. Dichro'stachys (from ^tc, dis, two, XP"'^"' ""^ 



lour, and ffravi./>. alnfl.ic o ^^\\r^ . Tr, ^^Porc^nOf tO thc t»0 C 



