16 HORTUS JAMAICENSIS. qm 



CAT-CLAWS. DOLICIIOS. 



Cl. 17, OR. 4. Diadelphia decandria. Nat. or. Pupilionaceee.. 



Tliis jreneric name is derived from a Gi'eek word, signityini^ long") from the lengtJi 

 of tiie pods. 



Gex. CHAR.-^Cah'X a one-leafed perianth, very sliort, four- toothed, equal ; the su- 

 perior tooth eiiiargiiiate ; corolla jiapiliooaceous, standard roundish, large, emar- 

 ginate, rftlex-, two calluses, oblong, parallel and longitudinal, grouing to the 

 standard beneath towards the base, compressing the wings, not hollowed on the 

 back; wings Of\'ate^obtuse, length of -the keel; keel lutiulate, comjiressed, be- 

 neath converging closely, lengtii of the wings, ascending at the tip ; The simple 

 lilament is curved at the ha^e ; anthers simple ; the pistil iuis a linear compressed 

 germ ; style ascending ; stiguia bearded, running on mwardly fri.mi the middle to 



tiietipof the style, which, on the forepart, is callous obtuse ; the pericarp is au 

 acuminate legume, large, .oblong, two- valved,, two-celled ; seeds several, elliptic, 

 usually compressed. The habit is that oi phuscolus ; the keel, which is n(;t spiral, 



distinguishes the genus, of which eight species are natives of Jamaica, the foUow- 



'ing, and those referred to under their, English names : 



I. FILIFORMIS. THREAD-rORM. 



UTeKbacenus minor, foUis liaciribiis, siliqua pulyspervii cvmnressa.-~'. 

 Browne, p. 294.. 

 Leaflets linear-obtuse, mucrGnate-, smooth, pubescent underneath. 

 This little plant is frequent about Old Harbour, it grows among the hushes, but sel- 

 dom stretclies above three or four feet in length. The j^ods are long and conqjressed j 

 antl the stigma or top of the style, almost naked. This plant is used as a purgative in- 

 gredient in diet-drinks, and is said, to answer well in hydropic cases. lirowtie^ 



2. ROSEUS. ROSE-WKfi, 



Phascolus inaritimus rotundifolius, flore piirpurco, siliqua brevicris- 

 tata, seiiiiiic fuscv sffia/o. Sloane, v. 1, p. 179. Mttiitimus re- 

 pens, foliis orhiculatis nitidis, siliqiiis comprcssis, satura aliera tri- 

 gona. Browne, p. 29.3. 



Stem creeping, ascending; leafletsAroumlishj shining; flowers in racemes; 

 legume.s- three-keeled at the back. 

 Browne calls this plant tlie large seaside dolidws -wifh round leaves, and says the root 

 is a strono- purgative. Sloane calls it sea bean, and describes it as follows : 



" It has a deep white root, with white filaments, running through the loose sandy 

 f;oil. The stalks are many, lying on;the surface of the ground for many yards, being 

 ;about the bigness of a swan's quill, green, and a little cornered, putting out leaves al- 

 ternately, three always standing together. The leaves are almost round, green, and 

 ..smooth. The flowers are papilionaceous," and of a "jiale purple coloiir. I'he pod i.s 

 .two inches long, and three-quarters of an iiwh broad, s-traight, of a clay colour, swelleti 

 .out, or the pease appearing in it before it be opened, having two crests, raised ledges, 

 . or eminent lines, one on each valve near the o])ening of it. The peas are about six in 

 number, each lying in a different membrane, of the bigness of an ordinary bean.- 

 'Thej are oval, trown, .and clay-cobured spots upon tiiem, having a black eye or hilus,. 



