MIMOSACEAE. 163 



flat, several-seeded, 2-valved, the valves coriaceous or membranous. About 10 

 species, natives of warm and tropical America, one widely distributed in trop- 

 ical regions of the Old World. Type species: Mimosa virgata L. 



Pods 6-9 cm. long; plant erect or ascending. 1. A. virgatutn. 



Pods 4-5 cm. long; plant diffuse. 2. A. depression. 



jfc 1. Acuan virgatum (L.) Medic. Theod. 62. 1786. 



Mimosa virgata L. Sp. PL 519. 1753. 

 f Mimosa pernambucana L. Sp. PL 519. 1753. 

 Desmanthus virgatus Willd. Sp. PL 4: 1047. 1806. 

 Desmanthus strictus Bertol. Giorn. Aread. 21: 190. 1824. 



Stem erect or ascending, glabrous or sparingly pubescent above, branched, 

 0.5-2 m. high. Stipules subulate, 2.5-4 mm. long; leaves 2-8 cm. long, short- 

 petioled, the petiole and rachis sometimes pubescent; pinnae 1-7 pairs, the 

 gland between the lower pair usually oblong, conspicuous; leaflets 10-20 pairs, 

 linear or linear-oblong, 4-9 mm. long, thin, obtuse or apieulate at the apex, 

 subtruncate at the base; heads few-several-flowered; peduncles solitary in the 

 axils, slender, 2-5 cm. long; flowers white; stamens 10, about twice as long as 

 the petals ; pod straight or slightly curved, 4-7.5 cm. long, 3-4 mm. wide, acute 

 or apieulate, smooth. 



Thickets and scrub-lands, Great Sturrup Cay, Andros, New Providence. Eleu- 

 thera, Long Island, Acklin's, Fortune Island and Inagua : Florida ; Bermuda ; West 

 Indies ; continental tropical America. Virgate Mimosa. 



2. Acuan depressum (H. & B.) Kuntze, Eev. Gen. PL 1: 158. 1891. 



Desmanthus depressus H. & B.; Willd. Sp. PL 4: 1046. 1806. 



Diffusely branched, seldom over 3 dm. high, glabrous or sparingly pubes- 

 cent. Stipules subulate, 3.5 mm. long or less; leaves short-petioled, 1.5-4 cm. 

 long; pinnae 1-5 pairs, the gland between the lowest pair small, mostly orbicu- 

 lar; leaflets 10-20 pairs, linear, 3-5 mm. long, thin, obtuse at the apex, obtuse 

 or subtruncate at the base; heads few-flowered, on, solitary axillary peduncles; 

 stamens 10, about 6 mm. long, twice as long as the petals; pod straight or 

 slightly curved, 2-5 cm. long, about 3 mm. wide. 



Roadsides and waste places. Andros, Mangrove Cay, New Providence, Long 

 Island, Ambergris Cay and Inagua : Florida ; Cuba to Tortola and Grenada ; 

 Jamaica ; Mexico to continental tropical America. Low Mimosa. 



10. NEPTUNIA Lour. Fl. Coch. 653. 1790. 



Prostrate, diffuse or floating perennial herbs, some species a little woody, 

 with bipinnate leaves, and axillary solitary, long-peduncled heads of more or 

 less imperfect and perfect flowers. Calyx campanulate, with 5 short teeth. 

 Petals 5, distinct, or united below the middle. Stamens mostly 10, distinct, 

 exserted, the anthers bearing a stalked gland. Ovary stipitate, several-many- 

 ovuled; style filiform with a terminal capitate stigma. Pods broadly linear or 

 narrowly oblong, stipitate, flat, commonly recurved, impressed between the 

 ovate transverse seeds, 2-valved, the valves thin-coriaceous. [Dedicated to 

 Neptune.] About 10 species, of America, tropical Asia and Australia. Type 

 species: Neptunia oleracea Lour. 



