ELEMENTARY BOTANY OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY. 265 



parts, and the petals often varying as much in shape as in size. There 

 are few flowers whieh have corollas more absolutely irregular than 

 those of Leguminosce, as regards the great majority of its plants. The 

 corollas have a name given to plants of this order alone, papilionaceous 

 (from papilio, a butterfly), or pea-shaped, having five separate petals, 

 one at the top, generally large and broad, and called the standard, 

 a pair opposite to the standard, joined together and enclosing the 

 stamens and pistil, called the keel, and a smaller lateral pair, distinct 

 and standing forward, called the wings. It may be added that the ten 

 stamens are generally united into one cluster (monadelphous), or into 

 two clusters (diadelphous), and that the calyx generally adheres to the 

 pod. 



The typical Leguminosce then have pea-shaped flowers and pods ; but 

 as there are some genera and species in which the fruit is not pod-like, 

 so there are some which have flowers not pea-shaped, and among these 

 exceptions we find a number in which the flowers are absolutely regular. 



The order is, therefore, divided into three sub-orders, which really 

 might as well have been three separate orders. 



1. Papilionacece. Flowers strictly as above, but the pod in some 

 cases much modified. 



2. Ccemlpincce. Flowers not truly papilionaceous, but approach- 

 ing it and irregular ; stamens as above, but free from the petals ; pod 

 unmodified. 



3. Mimosece. Flowers very small and regular, but petals usually 

 united above the base ; stamens often indefinite ; pod unmodified. 



It may be added that the plants of the first sub-order (which is by 

 far the largest of the three), are mostly herbs, and are found all over 

 the world ; while those of the other two sub-orders are mostly trees 

 or shrubs confined to warm climates. 



SUB-ORDER I.—PAriLIONACEJjJ. 



The sub-order is represented in W. India by 54 genera, some of 

 which contain a very large number of species. They are distributed 

 over eio-ht tribes, some of which have very distinct features, usually 

 connected with the divisions of the leaves and the shape of the pods. 

 As, however, I am only giving a selection from the species known, 

 it will, I think, be simpler to omit these distinctions of tribes, and to 

 mention instead any feature that may L common to three or 



