IV, l-LORA OF JAMAICA Brya 



united into a sheath, split above, slightly unequal. Ovules 2. 

 Pod divided into 1 or - broad flat joints, not splitting open. 



Species 3, one a native of Jamaica and Cuba, another of 

 Hispaniola, and the third of Nicaragua. 



B. Ebenus DC. Pnxlr. ii 421 (1825); Matf. Jam. i. 301; 

 Bot. Mj. i. 4670; Griseb. FL Br. W. Lid. 189. ' Ebenus jamai- 

 censis Phil-. Pltyt. t. 89, /. 1 A: Mm. 132. Aspalathus arboreus 

 Arc. Sloane Cat. 140 t JI/'*t. //'. 31, /. 175,/. 1. Brya arborescens 

 itc. Browne Hist. Jain. 299, t. 31, /. 2. Pterocarpus foliis &c. 

 Plum. PL Amer. (Burm.) 243, /. 246, /'. 1. Aspalathus Ebenus 

 L. Sp. PL ed. 2, 1001 ,(1763). Spartium arborescens Mill Gard. 

 Diet. ed. 8 (1768). Amerimnon Ebenus Sw. Prodr. 104 (1788) 

 & FL Lid. On: 1235. (Fig. 6.) Type in Herb. Mus. Brit. & in 

 Herb. Linn. 



West Indian Ebony, Cocus Wood. 



Common on the plains and dry bills on the south ; Sloane Herb. vi. 14 [ 

 Catesby in Herb. Sloane clxii. 74 ! Houstoun \ Browne ; Shakspear ! Masson ! 

 Macfadyen; McNabl Land Blue Mts., Hitchcock; Porus, Lloyd; Craig 

 Hill ; Hope grounds ; Harris ! FL Jam. 8635. Cuba. 



Shrub or small tree 15-25 ft. high, with clustered branches which are 

 armed with short sharp foliar prickles subtending a reduced leafy shoot. 

 Leaflets small, elliptical or obovate-elliptical, deciduous in dry weather, 

 7-17 mm. 1. Flowers of a bright yellow or orange colour. Calyx about 

 3 mm. 1. Corolla : standard about 1 cm. L, '8 cm. br. ; wings 9 mm. 1. 

 (incl. claw), claw 2 mm. 1. Ovary villose. Pod 2-jointed, upper joint 

 small, abortive. 



The heart wood is of rich brown, almost black, colour. It is excessively 

 hard as hard as ebony or lignum-vitse and harder than boxwood. The 

 grain is very fine, dense and even. It is particularly adapted for turnery, 

 and is used for flageolets, inlaying, and cabinet making. Weight 77 to 

 87 Ibs. per cubic foot. 



7. jESCHYNOMENE L. 



Leaves irritable, imparipinnate but sometimes without the 

 terminal leaflet ; leaflets numerous, small. Stipules lanceolate 

 <>r ovate. Racemes generally axillary. Bracts usually stipule- 

 like ; bracteoles adpressed to the calyx. Calyx 2 -lipped (in 

 Jamaican species). Standard roundish. Stamens 10, united 

 into a sheath, split on one side (in JE. biflora), or on both sides 

 (in ^E. americana). Pod, joints 2-several, square or semicircular, 

 usually not opening. 



Species about 160, of which 2 (or 3) are widely dispersed 

 in the tropics in Asia and Africa, 1 also in Australia, 1 in 

 S. America and also in Africa and Australia, 1 in jST. America 

 and S. Africa, 3 or 4 peculiar to Africa, all the rest American 

 from Patagonia to N. America. 



Stipules continued below the attachment 1. ^E. americana. 



Stipules not continued below the attachment... 2. JE. biflora. 



