Erythrina, DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA, 251 
the hottest months of the year, which shelters the vines from 
the intense heat of the sun, and keeps.the ground moist. As 
soon as the hottest weather is over, the leaves drop and ex- 
pose the vines to the sun and weather during the cvol sea- 
son, which I conceive renders them more healthy, and of 
course more productive. They must be kept in a dwarf state, 
by topping, and cutting off the lateral branches, for if allowed 
to grow without interruption, they would soon arrive at very 
great height, which would be very unfavourable for collect- 
ing the pepper. \ 
The immense quantity of large leaves that fall annually 
from these trees, manures the ground below them, which be- 
comes more and more fertile, the longer it remains in this 
state; so that when the vines have done bearing, the land 
must be in a much better condition than when first planted, 
Daily expericuce proves the truth of this, 
2. E. stricta. 
Arboreous, armed with innumerable white prickles, 
Leaves unarmed. Racemes terminal, horizontal. Calyx 
minute, spathaceous, entire. Wings sub-triangular, minute, — 
Legumes lanceolar, from two to three-seeded, | 
En-mouricou, the vernacular name at Anjenga, and Pen- 
mouricou that of E, indica, which this resembles much. 
_ A native of Malabar ; from Anjenga the seeds were receiv- 
ed into the Botanic garden, under the Canara name En-mou- 
ricou, at the same time, seeds of E. indica were received un- 
der the name Pen-mouricou., Both grew rapidly, for in two 
years the latter flowered in April, and in three, the former 
began to blossom early in March, and ripened its seed by the 
middle of April. 
Trunk perfectly straight, in our young trees eighteen 
~ inches in circumference, four feet from the ground ; branches 
few, and covered with smooth olive-coloured bark, all are 
well armed with numerous, short, sharp, light green prickles, 
height about twenty feet. On the Malabar coast it grows to 
Ffr2 
