514 
Nash. It isreplaced by C. aspera, a plant of dry barren fields and 
by a multipinnate, rather tall growing plant, hitherto unnamed, dis- 
tributed as zcftfans, but certainly not referable to that species. 
C. Chamaecrista grows in. Florida, assuming an erect, bushy 
habit, and often attains a height of from two to three feet. It is 
associated with another undescribed species, of low growth and 
divaricately much branched. The technical distinctions between 
these two new species will be discussed in the subjoined descrip- 
tions; but the differences shown in the flowering period are worthy 
of special note. 
Cassia nicticans flowers in August throughout the North and 
somewhat earlier south of the Virginia line. Its Florida congener 
is barely in flower by the middle of August, while flowering speci- 
mens collected by Mr. Curtiss bear date of September 15, at which 
time mictitans has withered foliage and thoroughly mature pods. 
C. Chamaecrista flowers from May 1 to 15,in Florida,and through- 
out June at the North; the new allied species was collected by 
Mr. Nash on September 5, with no pods as yet formed. 
These data are remarkable and quite conclusive. It is natural 
to find a plant of northern ‘range blooming a week or even a 
month earlier in a more southerly latitude ; but itis not to be sup- 
posed that a plant whose flowering period extends through May 
and June should assume an autumnal form in the South, especially 
when we bear in mind the fact that all these Cassias are annuals, 
and hence can bloom normally but once in a season. It is of 
course barely possible that C. Chamaecrista ripens its fruit in June 
and presents well developed plants two or three feet in height in 
late August; in case careful field observations should prove this to 
be a fact, we shall have a most remarkable case of dimorphism in 
a single species. 
The following key presents the salient characters of the Chamae- 
cristae verae in North America. C. cinerea Cham. and Schlecht., a 
species of Texano-Mexican distribution simulates this group, but 
belongs in the series Dimidiatae. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES. 
Flowers large (exceeding 1 cm.). 
Leaves glabrous. 
Plants tall, erect. C. Chamaecrista, 
Plant low, diffusely branched. C. depressa, 
EE EE ES ek ae eS at eae tee ee ee ee 
