62 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 



STIZOLOBIUM HIRSUTUM (Wight & Arnott) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 

 203. 1891. 

 Mucuna hirsuta Wight & Arnott Prodr. Fl. Ind. Or. p. 254. 1834. 

 The original description is as follows: 



" M. hirsuta ( W. & A.) branches, petioles, racemes and under side of 

 the leaflets hirsutely tomentose; leaflets ovate, upper side hirsutely pubes- 

 cent; racemes drooping, long peduncled; floriferous part somewhat long; 

 pedicels as short as the calyx ; calyx-segments broadly lanceolate, acumi- 

 nated, the length of the tube; legume linear, curved, very densely covered 

 with rigid stinging hairs, not sulcated on the sutures; valves without 

 plaits; hilum linear. 



" Wight Cat. n. 750." 



Specimens of Wight's No. 750 are in the herbaria at Calcutta and at 

 Kew but no exact data as to locality are given. Two other specimens 

 at Kew are labeled "E. India, Walker," and " Nilgherries, Gardner in 

 1847." In the Calcutta herbarium is a recent specimen collected by 

 C. E. C. Fischer, No. 1651, January 23, 1910, at Karimalia, South Mala- 

 bar, altitude 5000 ft. 



The species is easily distinguishable by the thickish leaflets densely 

 covered on each side with a silvery pubescence that becomes rusty in age. 

 The calyx is similarly pubescent. Xo mature pods or seeds have been 

 seen. Apparently the species is rare and restricted to the mountains of 

 southern India. 



In the light of the data disclosed by these studies the plants described 

 by pre-Linnaean authors may with considerable confidence be identified 

 as follows : 



S. pruriens 



Rumphius Herb. Amb. 5:393, tab. 142. 1747. 



This description is the first cited basis for Dolichos pruriens L. and 



therefore the species must rest upon the correct indentification of 



the Amboina plant. 

 S. pruritum biflorum 



Parkinson Theatr. Bot. 2:1056. 1640. 

 Rheede Hort. Malab. 8:61. tab. 36. 1688. 



under the name Nai-Corana. 

 Hermann Mus. Zeyl. 67. 1717. 



under the name Adsarijapala. 

 S. pruritum officinale 



Morrison Plant. Hist. Univ. Oxon. 2:69. 1680. 



Ray Hist. Plant. 1:887. 1686. 



Hermann Par. Bat. Prod. 364. 1689. 



Plukenet Phytographia tab. CCXIV. fig. 1. 1691. 



Also all other references to the American plant. 



In the compilations of other pre-Linnaean botanists all of the above 

 were referred to a single species, and this is also the case in the writings 

 of many modern botanists. 



