132 FLORA OF JAMAICA Desmantlm* 



Plujt. t. 307, f. >. Herba mimosa 11011 spinosa Arc. Sloane Cat. 

 153 & #//. iV. f>8. Mimosa virgata L. >S/,. PI. 519 (175.") ; 

 Jacq. Hort. Vindob. 34, <. 80. M. pernambucana L. loc. cit. 

 Acuan virgatum Medil: TJteod. 62 (1786). (Fig. 41.) Type in 

 Herb. Linn. 



Ground Tamarind. 



Near St. Jago de la Vega and in other places, Siuane Herb. vi. 50 ! Old 

 Harbour, Broughton \ Bancroft \ Liguanea plain ; Lucky Valley, Port 

 Royal Mts. ; Oxford, St. Thomas in the East ; Macfadyen ! March \ Green 

 Valley, J.P. 1358, Han-is ! King's House, J.P. 1348, Hart ! Kingston ; Port 

 Morant ; Hitchcock ; Mona, Campbell ! Ewarton, 1000 ft. ; Hope grounds ; 

 Harris \ Fl. Jam. 5871, 6670, 11,931. Tropical and subtropical regions. 



Shrub erect, 2-4(-6) ft. high, or branches diffuse or prostrate; branches 

 angular or somewhat 4-cornered above and terete below. Pinnse 2-5(-7) 

 pairs, 1 5-4 5 cm. 1. ; leaflets 10-25 pairs, linear or oblong-linear, 4-8 mm. 1. : 

 gland cup-like, ovate or circular. Flower-heads with 6-8 whitish flowers. 

 Calyx about 2-5 mm. 1. Petals about 4 mm. 1. Stamens at length about 

 twice as long as the corolla ; anthers sometimes aborted in the lower 

 flowers. Pod 6'5-3(-S) cm. L, 3-4 mm. br., linear. Seeds 10-20 

 or more. 



Bentharn retains D. dcpressus Humb. & Bonpl. as a species distinct 

 from D. virgatits Willd. ; the distinguishing features are the weak, less 

 angular and more procumbent stem ; pinnse generally not more than 

 1-5 cm. 1., in 1-5 pairs; leaflets smaller and narrower, in 10-20 pairs; 

 and much smaller gland. It seems to us merely a weak form of the 

 species, a view which is borne out by Macfadyen's detailed descriptions of 

 his two species. 



42. MIMOSA L. 



Herbs, shrubs or trees. Leaves generally sensitive, usually 

 without glands on the stalks. Flower-heads stalked. Flowers 

 hermaphrodite or polygamous ; parts of the flowers in 4's. 

 Calyx generally minute, inconspicuous. Petals more or less 

 united. Stamens as many, or twice as many, as the petals, 

 generally twice as long, rosy or white, free. Pod compressed, 

 2-valved ; valves separating from the entire thickened border, 

 and breaking up into joints with 1 seed in each joint. 



Species about 300, mostly natives of tropical America, a few 

 of Africa and Asia, none in Australia. 



Herbs, sometimes woody below in M. pudica. 



Without prickles. Pinnae, in 1 pair 1. M. viva. 



With prickles. Pinnse subdigitate, in 2 pairs 2. M. pudica. 



Shrubs or trees. 



Pinnse in 4-8 pairs. 



[Flower-heads white. Stipels minute prickles M. biimicronata.^ 



Flower-heads rosy. Stipels bristle-like 3. M. invisa. 



[Pinnse in 8-15 pairs. Flower-heads pale rosy-lilac M. pigra.'] 



1. M. viva L. Sp. PI. 517 (1753) ; a very small prostrate 

 glabrous herb, without prickles, rooting at the nodes. Macf. 

 Jam. i. 304; Griseb. FL Br. W. Ind. 218; Benth. in Trans. Linn. 

 Soc. xxx. 392. M. herbacea non spinosa minima &c. Sloane Cat. 



