LEGUMINOSiE, CCLXIX. Heterostemon. CCLXX. Amherstia. CCLXXI. Tamarindus. 



437 



1 H. LAURiFOLiA (VahL 1. c.) leaflets 3-5 pairs ; hind lobes of CCLXXI. TAMARINDUS (Tamar, in Arabic is the name 



stipulas drawn out, acute ; branches thickened at the internodes. 



Native of Java. Batschia laurif olia, VahL 1. c. 



Laurel-leaved Humboldtia. 

 Cult. For culture and nro 



Tree 30 to 40 feet. 

 Sfation see Hardwick 



of the date, Lidus, Indian ; Indian date). Lin. gen, no. 46. 

 Lam. ill. t. 25. D. C. prod. 2. p. 488. 



Lin. syst. Monadelphia, Ennedndriay and Dec&ndr'm* Ca- 

 lyx tubular at the base, cleft ; the 3 upper lobes are reflexed 



CCLXIX, HETEROSTE^MON (hepo^, heteros. variable, and oblong, 2 lower ones also reflexed a^^^ 



one broad, 2-nerved lobe, which is usually bidentate at the apex. 

 Petals 3, alternating with the 3 upper lobes of the calyx, the 2 

 lateral ones ovate, and the middle one cucuUate. Stamens 9-10, 



at 



and (TTtifibiyj stemon^ a stamen, in reference to the variable length 

 of the stamens, as w^ell as in some being fertile and others 



sterile). Desf. mem. mus. 4. p. 248. D. C. prod. 2. p. 488. ^ «/*i-i i i , . i y ^ 



Lin. syst. Monadelphia, Octdndria. Calyx tubular, 4- ^^^^^ ^^ ^]"^^ are longer than the others, monadelpl 



cleft, girded at the base by 2 connate, calyculafe bracteas, the ^he base and antheriferous, the other 7 very short and sterile 



segments oblong and acute. Petals 3, obovate, inserted in the ^^y\ «"bulate. Legume pedicellate, acmac.form, compressed, 



1 -celled, 3-6-seeaea, the valves tilled with pulp between the 



epicarp and endocarp. Seeds ovate-quadrate, obliquely trun- 



— Trees 



throat of the calyx. Stamens 8, unequal, long, declinate, mo- 

 nadelpbous below and pilose above, the 3 lower ones are longer 



and fertile, and 5 bearing barren 2-lobed anthers. Stipe of the *^^.^? ^} '\ ^y?""^* Cotyledons unequal at the base 



ovary concrete with the calyx. Style filiform. - Legume flat, 

 tapering to both ends, many seeded. — A tree, with abruptly 

 pinnate leaves and winged petioles, bearing linear, obtuse, emar- 

 ginate, glabrous leaflets. Flowers large, few, somewhat corym- 

 bous. This genus is allied to Tamarindus. 



1 H. MiMosoiDKs (Desf. 1. c. t. 12.) ^. S. Native of Brazil. 



Mimosa4ike Heterostemon. Tree. 



Cult. See Tamarindus for culture and propagation, p. 438. 



CCLXX. AMHERSTIA (named by Dr. Wallich after the 

 Right Honourable Countess Amherst and her daughter Lady 



Sarah Amherst, the zealous friends and constant promoters of tree is heavy, firm, and hard ; sawed into^boards it is converted 

 all branches of natural history, especially botany, who. 

 their residence in India performed an arduous and extensive 



with abruptly pinnate leaves, bearing many pairs of small leaflets, 

 and racemes of flowers. 



1 T. I'ndica (Lin. spec. 48. exclusive of the synonyme of 

 Loefl.) legumes elongated, 8-12-seeded, 6-times or more longer 

 than broad. Tj . S. Native of the East Indies and the tropical 

 parts of Africa. Woodv. med. bot. t. ICG. — Rheed. mal. 1. t. 

 23, — Rumph. amb. g. t. 23. — Blackw. herb. t. 221. D. C. 

 legum. mem. xi. t. 24. f. 113. germ. A large spreading tree, 

 with the leaves of a pale colour. Flowers with a straw-coloured 

 calyx and yellow petals, beautifully streaked with red, and purple 

 filaments and brown anthers. The timber of the Tamarind- 



during 



to many useful purposes in building. The pulp contained in 

 the pods is used both in food and medicine. The tamarinds 



journey to the northern regions of Northern and Western Hin- which are brought from the East Indies are darker and drier, but 

 doostan, spending many weeks among the mountains near the ' '" " * j -..k^--. 



Himalaya, where they obtained a very interesting collection of 



-Y^Tall. t)l. rar. asiat. 1. d. 1- 1. 1. 



contain more pulp ; being preserved without sugar they are fitter 

 to be put into medicines than those from the West Indies, which 



_ _ are much redder, but being preserved with sugar are more 



LiN. sYST. Diadelphia, Decdndria. ^Sepals 4, connate into a pleasant to the palate. The use of ^awmrmi^ was first learned 



tube at the base, which is permanent and bears the staminiferous 

 column at the apex, girded by 2 large opposite bracteas at the 

 base, which are valvate in aestivation. Petals 5, unequal, 2 lower 

 ones very minute and curved, lateral ones cuneiform, divaricate, 

 upper one large, spreading, obcordate, and unguiculate. Sta- 

 Ji|»^ns 10, 9 of the filaments joined together into a long tube, 

 out free at the apex, alternate ones shortest, the tenth free, but 

 aunate to the pedicel of the ovary at the base. Anthers versa- 

 tile, all fertile. Ovary stipitate, falcate, 4-6-ovu1ate, with the 



from the Arabians ; they contain a larger proportion of acid 

 with the saccharine matter than is usually found in acid fruits. 

 The epicarp of the pod is thin, and the acid pulp for which 

 they are esteemed is the sarcocarp. Tamarinds are preserved 

 in two ways ; commonly by throwing hot sugar from the boilers 

 on the ripe pulp ; but a better method is to put alternate layers 

 of tamarinds and pow^dered sugar in a stone jar. By this means 

 the tamarinds preserve their colour, and taste more agreeably. 

 Preserved tamarinds should be fresh and juicy, and should have 



«tipe adhering to the calycine tube. Style filiform, crowned by an agreeable acid taste. They should not have a musty smell ; 



- oujaii convex stigma. Legume pedicellate, flat, oblong, few- 



the seeds should not be soft and swollen ; and the blade of a 



A tree, with large, impari-pinnate leaves, bearing 6-8 

 pairs of leaflets, and long pendulous axillary racemes of showy 

 scarlet flowers. 



knife should not get a coating of copper by being immersed 

 among them. Tamarinds contain sugar, mucilage, citric acid, 

 supertartrate of potass, tartaric acid, and malic acid. In medi- 

 1 A. NOBiLis (Wall. 1. c). V- S. Native of the Burman cine the pulp of tamarinds, taken in the quantity of from 2 to 3 

 J^n^pire, in the garden of a decayed kioun, a sort of monastery, drachms to an ounce or more, proves gently laxative and purga- 

 * miles from the right bank of the Saluen River, and 27 miles tive, and at the same time by its acidity quenches thirst and 

 IfT ^1*^ *^^^ ^^ Martaban, but its native place of growth is allays immoderate heat. It increases the action of the sweet 



purgatives cassia and manna, and weakens that of the resinous 

 cathartics. Salts, whose base is potass, form an improper addi- 

 tion to tamarinds^ for they are decomposed, and the tartaric 

 acid of the fruit is precipitated in the form of supertartrate of 



potass. 



East Indian Tamarind. 



40 to 60 feet. 



v^ ""*^nown, as the trees found in the garden have undoubtedly 

 J " planted there. The flowers are large, of a fine vermilion 

 colour, diversified with yellow spots. This tree, when in fo- 

 ,'age and blossqm is the most superb object that can possibly be 

 ^JTTiagmed, and not surpassed by any plant in the world. The 

 Burmese name of the tree is Thoka. Handfuls of flowers were 

 Fesented as offerings in the cave before the images of Buddha. 



ong with this tree were found some trees of Mesua ft 

 and /onem Asoca. 

 ^ these parts should have manifested so good a taste as to 



«h ?-^^^ ^^'^^ ^^ ^^^^® ^^ ornaments to their objects of wor- 

 'P which can hardly be surpassed in beauty. 

 ^oble Amherstia. Tree 30 to 40 feet. 

 ^w«. For culture and propagation see Hardnickia, p. 436. 



Fl. June, July. Clt. 1633. Tree 



VTtrXC lUUllU OUlllC Litter \JM. J.r^l..*JW« j^^w^,^ 



It is not a little remarkable that the priests 



2 T. occidenta'lis (Gsertn. fruct. 2. p. 310. t. 146.) legumes 

 short, 1-4-seeded, hardly 3-times longer than broad. ^2* S. 

 Native of South America and the West India Islands. 



Blackw. herb. t.201. 



Jacq. 

 Flow ers with 



amer. p. 10. t. 179. f. 98. 

 a straw-coloured calyx and yellower petals streaked with red, 

 and purplish stamens. A large spreading tree. The pods of 

 the West Indian tamarind are shorter and redder than those of 



