Oliv., which occurs in the Cameroons, the Congo State 
and Uganda, with smaller flowers and obtuse emarginate 
leaves. Other species, with much more numerous and 
quite small leaflets and flowers, are to be found in Angola 
and in the Zambesi basin. The flowers of B. insignis 
are probably the largest known in the suborder Caes- 
alpinieae of the family Leguminosae. The dorsal petal is 
distinctly coloured and exhibits the additional peculiarity 
of embracing the tenth, and quite free, stamen which it 
thus keeps apart from the remaining connate stamens, 
perhaps at a suitable time opening a door whereby birds 
or insects may obtain access to the nectaries. The 
plant whence the material for our figure has been 
obtained was received at Kew in 1894 from the Botanical 
Station, Lagos. It flowed for the first time in a tropical 
house in July, 1914. Planted in a border in this house 
it has grown to a height of thirty feet, and in J uly, 1918, 
it flowered more profusely than in previous years. The 
flowers are extremely fugacious and in size, texture and 
colour recall those of Camvensia maxima, figured at 
t. 7572 of this work, save that the yellow colour in the 
latter case, instead of being confined to the dorsal petal, 
Occurs as a marginal line on every petal. 
Description.— Tree, 85-45 ft. high; twigs flexuous, almost glabrous, closely 
lenticelled. Leaflets 8 or 4 or 5, alternate or nearly opposite, obliquely oblong- 
elliptic, gradually acuminate and somewhat blunt at the tip, base rounded 
and umbonately thickened on one side, 5-12 in. long, 13-8} in. wide, entire, 
coriaceous, closely reticulate on both surfaces, rather shining beneath ; midrib 
flat above, raised beneath ; lateral nerves many, indistinct ; petiolules thickened, 
about 4 in. long, wrinkled transversely ; stipules small, ovate-lanceolate, 
scale-like. Flowers very large, few, nodding, clustered at the tips of the twigs, 
densely velvety in bud; bracts and bracteoles wide-ovate, concave, }-} in. 
long, soon deciduous; pedicels stout, up to ? in. long, velvety. Calyx-tube 
thick, turbinate, about 2 in, long; segments slightly imbricate, linear, up to 
4} in. long, brown velvety outside, adpressed silky, recurved when the flowers 
open. Petals up to 8 in. long, obovate, narrowed at the base to a distinct 
claw, laxly hairy about the middle on both sides, the upper petal yellow 
within, the others white, with conspicuous veins. Sfamens 10, exserted ; 
upper filament free, the others unequally connate below, pubescent from 
the middle downwards; anthers curved, 3 in. long. Ovary long-stipitate, 
about 8-ovuled, densely villous ; style 2 in. long, glabrous, slender, crowned 
by the depressed-globose stigma. Fruit (not fully ripe) curved, about 7 in. 
long and 13 in. wide, transversely rugose, finely velvety. 
. 148. 8819.—Fig. 1, petiolule and base of leaflet; 2, stamens: 8 and 4, 
anthers: 5, pistil :—all enlarged, 
