166 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



The five Porto Rican species of this genus belong to four different sections. C. 

 bonduc and C. crista are included in section 1, Guilandina. They are aculeate, 

 scandent shrubs with membranous leaflets and echinate legumes. 



C. sepiaria belongs to section 3, Sappania. It is a prickly climbing shrub with 

 seeds that are as long as wide, and glabrous legumes. 



C. pulcherrima, a shrub with beautiful fragrant flowers, is contained in section 4, 

 Caesalpinaria. The long-exserted anthers and small membranous leaflets are also 

 noticeable. 



C. gilliesii, worthy of notice on account of its minute leaflets and lanceolate 

 legumes, is included in section 6, Erythrostemon. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



Flowers rather small with subsessile bracts, in spikes; petiole 

 with prickles; legume with prickles. 

 With stipules; bracts of the pedicels horizontal, curved; 



seeds lead-colored. 

 Without stipules; bracts of the pedicels erect; seeds yellow. 

 Flowers large, long-stipitate, without bracts, in showy racemes; 

 legume without prickles. 



Petioles with prickles; leaves pilose. 

 Petioles without prickles; leaves glabrous. 



Flowers showy, yellow; pedicels and petioles glandular; 



legume glandular. 

 Flowers showy, scarlet; pedicels and petioles glabrous; 

 legume glabrous. 



1. Caesalpinia crista L. 



(Urban, 278.) 



Shrub, scandent, 4 meters high, aculeate; leaves bipinnate; leaflets 8 to 12-jugate, 

 ovate to ovate-oblong, 2 to 6 cm. long, shortly and obtusely acuminate, membranous 

 or subchartaceous; stipules conspicuous, cut into large segments; bracts beneath the 

 buds horizontal or curved; flowers rusty yellow, calyx lobes 7 mm. long; petals ovate- 

 oblong, 1 cm. long; legume oblique, 5 to 7.5 cm. long, 3.5 cm. wide, turgid; seeds 

 lead-colored. 



In coast districts near Bayamon; near Humacao, in copses at Punta Candelero; 

 near Patillas, around Guardaraya; near Guanica, in thickets at Salinas; near Maya- 

 guez at Guanajibo. Bermuda (Hemsley), Florida Keys, Bahama, Cuba, Jamaica, 

 Haiti, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, St. Martin (Stockholm Herbarium), St. Bar- 

 tholomew, Guadeloupe, Dominica (Grisebach), Martinique, St. Vincent, Mustique 

 (Kew Bull. no. 81, p. 248), Barbados, Grenada. Tropics of Asia, Africa, and Amer- 

 ica, Australia, and New Guinea. 



Every part of the plant (root, leaves, seeds, bark) is valuable medicinally. There 

 appears to be a difference of opinion regarding the properties of the roots, but all 

 authors agree in extolling the virtues of the seed. For making bracelets, necklaces, 

 and rosaries the seeds are much used, and in some countries the children use them 

 for marbles. 



Local names, mato de playa, mato azul. Culm, guacalote prieto (Law, Morales), 

 St. Thomas, gray nickars (Eggers); St. Croix, nickars (West); Guadeloupe, canique 

 grise, oeil de chat (Duehassaing, Duss); Martinique, yeux de chat (Duss, Hahn); Gre- 

 nada, home-eye, quashi (Broadway). 



