41 



taineers do not esteem it much, owing, as they say, to its speedy decay; a circumstance o^ving no doubt to their 

 employing it in its green state. A similar prejudice prevails in that country against the other species. I am unable to 

 distinguish It from Dr. Roxburgh's Quercus squamata, which is a native of the mountains bordering on the district of 

 Sillet. By an oversight an erroneous representation of the male flowers has been copied on the plate. 



MUCUNA MACROCARPA. Tab. 4?. 



Fruticosa, foliis parce pilosis ; floribus maximis, racemosis, carina alis longiore, discolore ; leguminibus longissimis, 

 ensiformibus, torulosis, tomentosis, polyspermis. 



Habitat in montibus Napaliae, sed rarius. Floret Aprili, fructus maturos profert Augusto. 



Frutex maxima, ramosa, latfe volubilis, caule digitum ad brachium fer^ crasso, induto cortke ramoso, fuscescente. Rami longissimi, te- 

 retes, villis ferrugineis dens^ obsiti, pilis solubilibus, numerosis intermixtis ; novelli un^ctim foliis recentibus sericeo-villosi. Folia distantia, 

 alterna, patentia, magna, long^ petiolata, teraata. Foliola 5-pollicaria et ultra, acuminata, integerrima, magnitudine ajqualia, meinbranacea, 

 utrinque adpress^ pilosa, setate glabriora ; lateralia semicordata, basi hinc valdfe gibbosa ; intermedium longiiis petiolatum, lato-ovatum, sub- 

 rhomboideum, basi acutum. Petiolus cylindricus, foliolis par^m longior, basivald^ tumidus ; partiales unguiculares,'pilosi. Stipule parvse, 

 lanceolatse, acutae, deciduse, Flores maximi, 2 — 2 J-pollicares, inodori, speciosi, versicolores ; vexillo nempfe viridi, alis purpureis, caring, 

 fiisca ; numerosi et approximati, dispositi in racemos semipedales ad pedales, laterales ramorum vetustiorum, scilicet ex axillis foliorum 

 delapsorum, solitaries vel geminates, laxfe pendulos, ovatos vel oblongos, obtusos. Pedunculus communis crassus, carnosus, cylindricus, par- 

 tialesqae teretes, poUicares, pilosi. Calyx amplus, ovatus, basi lata, subretusa hinc gibbosa, unguera longus, ore subbilabiato; labio sitperiore 

 3-dentato, dentibtis lato-ovatis, acutis, intermedio majore; inferiore subtruncato, obsolete 2-dentato. Corolla calyce quadruple longior, 

 fetalis brevissim^ unguiculatis, extiis pilosis. Vexillum latissim^ ovatum, obtusissimum, ventricoso-gibbosum, subreflexum, sesquipoUicare, 

 viride, basi parfim contract^, bidentata, ungue incurvo, canaliculato. Al^e oblongse, obtusoe, carinse parallelse et adpressae, eademque paull6 

 breviores, purpurese, apicem versus convexse. Carina oblonga, dilute ferruginea, monophylla, apice attenuato-acuta et porrecta, dorsoque 

 gibboso bifida. Filamenta diadelpha, carinam fer^ eequantia. ANTHERiE pilosulae, ovatte; alternee majores, elevatiores, subsagittatae. 

 Ovarium pilosum. Legumen 6 — 18-pollicare, poUices 2 latum, ensiforme, acutum, complanatum, torulosum, 5 — 10-spermum, fusco-villosum, 

 minutim rugosum, dorso planiusculo 3-carinatum, intfis laeve, septis angustis, obliquis,coriaceis. Semina magna, fusca, plana, suborbiculata, 

 hilo longissimo per duas terlias ambitus partem circumdata,yM«fcMfoque maximo, spongioso appensa. 



This superb climber approaches closely to Mucuna gigantea Decand., but differs in the size of its flowers and 

 fruit, as well as in other respects. It is furnished to a less degree than most of the other species belonging to the 

 genus, with those long and easily separable hairs, which on the slightest touch enter the skin, and cause an intolerable 

 burning. The flowers, especially the calyces, are in this respect the most offensive parts : but this is abundantly 

 counterbalanced by their size and beauty. 



Plate XLVII. Fig. 1. Flower. 2. The same dissected. 3. Pod. 



SPHiEROPTERIS. 



Involucra dorsalia, e medio venulse orta, pedicellata, spheerica, clausa, verticaliter dehiscentia, bivalvia. Capsule 

 pedicellatae, receptaculo communi convexo insidentes. — Brown MSS. 



Sphseropteris, Wall, in Herb. Societ. Mercator. Ind. Orient. 1823. (hdvABernhardi, quae CyathecB spec.) 



Peranema, Don. Prodr. Flor. Nepal, p. 12. (baud Peronema Jack). 



Classis Linnaeana, Cryptogamia Filices. 



Ordo naturalis, Filices Polypodiacece, Brown. 



Uahitus' Aspidii, caudice nuUo, ' frondibus decompositis, venulis subtus glandulosis, stipite rachique. palcaceis. — 

 Genus nimis forsan affine Biacalpi, Blume Enum. Plant. Javan. p. 241, (fide speciminis Javanici a Domino Horsfield 

 anno 1818 communicati,) quse similis habitu, venulis glandulosis, medio soriferis, involucro sphaerico, clauso, reticulato, 

 areolis subrotundis, parietibus moniliformibus nodulosisve ; diversa involucro sessili, laceratim dehiscente, capsulis vix 

 pedicellatis, et receptaculo obsoletiori insidentibus. Hoc ultimo charactere et reticulatione involucri a Cyathcis nonnullis 

 (involucro e medio vense orto) prasertim distinguenda ; arctiore tamen affinitate nexa cum JPoodsia, mediante specie 

 mexicana {W. mexicana Nob.) qu£e, ni fallor, P/tysemafiwnmolle,Kau\Un Regensb. Bot. Zeyt. 1829. 1. Band, p. 341, cui 

 eel. auctor attribiiit involucrum " circumcirca clausum" quod vero in nostra planta apice divisum est, lobis subciliatis, 

 arete conniventibus. — Brown MSS. 



