> , 'I ' , ■"■* 



PERKINS— THE LEGUMINOSAE OF PORTO RICO. 173 



cm. long by about half as broad, the lateral ones opposite, short-stalked, both sides 

 subglaucous and thinly silvery, the upper nearly or quite glabrous Avhen mature, turn- 

 ing blackish when dried; racemes moderattdy dense, 2.5 to 5 em. long when in flower, 

 nr'nrly sessile; pedicel equaling the obliquely campanulate, thinly silvery calyx, 

 which is not more than 1 mm. deep, the lower teeth lanceolate, reaching half way down, 

 the upper shorter; corolla fugacioup, yellow, 3 to 4.5 mm. long. — Pod reflexed, sickle- 

 shaped, 1 to 2 cm. long, 3 mm. thick, subtetrago nous with thickened sutures, glabrous 

 wdion mature, G to 8 seeded. 

 . Near Bayamon in cultivated localities; Sierra de Nagualx), near Rio Blanco; near 

 Yahueoa in the coast districts; near Patillas on the sea at Guardaraya; near Ooamo, in 

 meadows between Serillos and Salinas; near Adjuntas on declivities at Saltillo; n(%r 

 Guayanilla on calcareous mountains near Pi'non; near Guanira^ in fields at Punta de 

 los Pescadores and in coast districts near La Ballena; near Cabo Rojo in pastures; near 

 Mayaguez and Anasco. — Bahama, Cuba, Jamaica, Cayman (Hitchcock), Haiti, St. 

 Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, St. Bartholomew (Stockholm Herbarium), Guadeloupe, 

 Martinique, St. Vincent, Mustique, Bequia (Kew Bull. no. 81, p. 246), Barbados, 

 Gr(^nada, Tobago, Trinidad (Grisebach), Margarita. It is said to be a native of tropical 



America* 



Indigofera suffniiicosa is much cultivated in the tropics and subtropics and from it is 

 prepared the well-known coloring matt(*r, indigo. It is obtained in the following 

 manner. The plants are mowed just before tlie flowering time and soaked in waler 

 unl il the liquid becomes a deep yellowish-green color. The fluid is then drained into 

 large vessels or into a cistern, where it is brought, as much as possible, in contact with 

 the air, by m(^ans of wheels and shovels, in order that it may take up oxygen. The 

 indigo substance becomes bkie and insoluljle in water, and sinks to the bottom in the 

 form of a blue powder. This is strained out by woolen cloths and dried. Indigo finds 

 extensive use as a dyestuffj coloring cotton, wool, and silk dark blue. Mixed with oil, 

 it forms a paint of great body, but one that is easily decomposed by pure air. 



Local name, anil, indigo. 



2. Indigofera guatimalensis Mo^. & Sesse. 



(Urban, 282.) 



Shrub, 1.5 meters high; branches woody, deeply sulrale, thinly silver}-; stipules 

 small, setaceous; petiole about 1 cm. long, firm erecto-patent; leaves 4.5 to 6 cm. long; 

 leaflets 4 to pairs, oblong or obovate, 1 to 2 cm. long, 5 mm. broad, the lateral ones 

 opposite, short-stalked J the upper one with a petiolule 5 mm. long, all clothed on both 

 sides with rather long gray hairs; racemes 1 to i.5 cm. long, n<urly sessile; pedicel about 

 1 mm, long; calyx pilose, 1 mm. deep; corolla 'i nun. long; pod erect, straight, subtet- 

 ragonous, pilose, 1 cm. long, 2 mm. wide, Avith thickened sutures, 3 or 4-seeded. 



Near Cabo Rojo in pastures; near Mayaguez, on liills toward Boquillas; near Rincon 

 on declivities at Calvache. — Cuba (cultivated, Prain and Baker), St. Thomas, Mar- 

 tinique (introduced), Guatemala (Prain and Baker), Venezuela, Ecuador (Prain and 



Baker), Peru. 



This plant differs from /. sufruUcosa in having thick pc^ds which are smaller and 



fewer-seeded. 



30. DALEA L. 



DalcaJiss. Gen. 355. 1789, not P. Br. 175G. 

 Paroscla Cav. Desc. 185. 1802. 



Calyx 5-cleft or 5-toothed, often glandular; the segments subequal; petals unguicu- 

 late, lh<^ claws of the wings and keel uiiited with the stamen-tube to the middle, decid- 

 uous by an articulation; standard free, inserted at the bottom of the calyx, the limb 

 cordate; stamens 10 (rarely 9) monadelphous, the tube cleft; ovary sessile or shortly 



