Dr Graham's Description of New or Rare Plants. 375 



rermarkable cause, observed by Mr Lindley, of a phenomenon they pre- 

 sent when thrown into water. In these circumstances, the mucus which 

 envelopes them " instantly dilates and forms around them like a cloud, 

 and in a short time acquire? a volume greater than the seed itself. Up- 

 on examining the cause of this singular phenomenon, it will be found to 

 depend upon the presence of an infinite multitude of exceedingly deli- 

 cate and minute spiral vessels, lying coiled up, spire within spire, on the 

 outside of the testa. This observation," adds Mr I.indley, " is particu- 

 larly interesting, inasmuch as spiral vessels are, we believe, now for the 

 first time seen upon the external surface of a vegetable organ." 



Crotalaria angulosa. 



C. angtUosa ; sublignosa, erecta, ramis patulis, acutangulis, flexuosis, 



adpresse pilosis, racemis oppositifoliis terminalibusque, foliis petiola- 



tis, ovatis, obtusis, mucronulatis, stipulis lunatis renexis, petiolo lon- 



gioribus. 

 Crotalaria, foliis solitariis, ovato-acutis, caule sulcato, Burm. Zeyl. 81. 



t. 34. 

 Pee-tandale-colti, Rheede^ Malab. pars 9. p. 53. t. 29. 

 CVotalaria verrucosa, Linn. Sp. PI. 2. p. 1005 — WUld. Sp. PI. 3. p. 977- 



Spreng. Syst. Veget. 3. p. 237- 

 Crotalaria coerulea, Jacq. Icones PI. rarior. 

 Crotalaria angulosa. Lam. Encyclop. Method. 2. p. 197 — Cavanilleg^ Icon. 



4. J). 10. t. 321. 

 Description. — i?oD/annual. Stemerect^ round, somewhat woody. Branches 

 spreading wide, acute- angled, green or purplish, hairy, hairs adpressed. 

 Leaves simple (I to 3 inches long, | to 2 inches broad), bright green, paler 

 behind, alternate, distichous, petioletl, ovate, entire on their edges, blunt 

 or retuse, mucronulate, somewhat concave, slightly undulate, especially 

 when young, thick, soft, hairy, hairs adpressed, and by far most nume- 

 rous and most conspicuous behind, middle inb strong, and as well as the 

 oblique branched veins, channelled, in front, and very prominent be- 

 hind ; petioles (2-3 lines long), comjjressed laterally. Stipules broadly 

 lunate, acuminate, reflexed, persisting, smaller upwards, same colour 

 and texture as the leaves. Racemes terminal, or opposite to the leaves, 

 many -flowered ; common footstalk resembling the branches, without 

 flowers for about half its length ; pedicels (3 lines long) drooping, round, 

 slightly swollen towards the flowers, purplish, hairy, hairs white, shin- 

 ing, adpressed ; bracteae small, subulate, one under the origin of the pe- 

 dicel, half its length, two, very minute but otherwise similar, suboppo- 

 site, nearly half way up the pedicel. Calyx with few adpressed hairs, 

 5-parted, segments pointed, the two upper spread wide upon the back of 

 the vexillum, the three others frequently adhering at their apices. Co- 

 rolla pale lilac, streaked with darker lines deepest at their origin, mar- 

 cescent ; vexillum more than twice the length of the calyx, broad, 

 reflected, retuse, keeled towards its apex,i)ale behind; aire blunt, spread- 

 ing below, shorter than the vexillum ; carina pointed, rather shorter 

 than the alae, greenish. Filaments 10, 5 longer than the others, pubescent, 

 free for about naif their length, tube clefl above, ribbed. Anthers orange- 

 yellow, bursting along their sides, on the longer filaments small, round, 

 on the shorter, large, cordato-oblong, broacily furrowed between the 

 lobes ; pollen very abundant, orange-yellow. Germen woolly, equal to 

 the filamental tube. Style longer than the stamens, bent to a smaller 

 angle as the germen lengthens, and then its knee is thrust through the 

 carina, hairy on the upjier side for two-thirds of its length, jjersisting 

 and laid along the upper suture of the jwd. Stigma ovate, flattened 

 blunt, oblique. Pod inflatetl, oblong, compressed above and below, wide- 

 ly channelled along the upper suture, broadest towards the style, pen- 

 dant, sprinkled witn adpressed hairs. Seeds vfhen unripe kidney- shaped, 

 flattened. 

 The specific name of Linnteus is singularly inapplicable. In the smooth, 



