364 PERIPETALE. 
with the exception of the Graminew, there is no one which 
furnishes, directly or indirectly, so many of the necessaries 
of life. Many are useful as food for man, but they are more 
important as furnishing excellent pasture for cattle. It con- 
tains the Pea (Pisum sativum), the Bean (Vicia Faba), the 
Kidney Bean or Haricot (Phaseolus vulgaris) ; Dyers’ Green- 
weed (Genista tinctoria), used to dye a yellow colour ; St. 
John’s Bread (Ceratonia siligua), the fleshy fruit of which is 
used as an article of food in the countries where the tree is 
common; Saintfoin (Onobrychis sativa or Hedysarum Ono- 
brychis); White Trefoil or Dutch Clover (Trifolium re- 
pens), Common Clover (T. pratense), Black Medick or Non- 
such (Medicago lupulina), Lucerne (M. sativa), the South 
American Earth-nut (Arachis hypogea), used as food in 
New Spain. The leaves of Indigofera Anil, I. tinctoria, I. 
caerulea, and I. argentea, yield indigo, a valuable blue dye. 
The Tamarind, a pleasant acid fruit, is the produce of Ta- 
marindus indica. 
Mepicinat Prorenties.—In a medicinal point of view. 
this is a very important family. It affords the valuable pur- 
gative Senna, which consists of the leaves of Cassia obovata, 
C. acutifolia, C. lanceolata (C. elongata), C. ethiopica ; 
the fruit and pulp of another species of Cassia, C. fistula, 
=O Dithcrlointpis | fistula), and the pulp of the Tamarind 
-(Tamarindus indica), are gently laxative. The stiff hairs 
of the pod of Cowhage (Mucuna pruriens, or Dolichos pruri- 
ens), and M. prurita, are used as anthelmintic. Tamarinds 
contain sugar, and citric, malic, and tartaric acids. The 
bark of the Cabbage-tree (Geoffrea inermis) is a power- 
ful anthelmintic. Genista tinctoria is purgative, and in 
_ some parts of Russia deemed a specific in hydrophobia. 
Fenngric seeds, from the Trigonella Phenum-Grecum, are 
emollient, and employed in veterinary medicine. The 
leaves of Bladder-Senna (Coluteu arborescens) are employ- 
as a purgative, and often mixed with Senna leaves. The 
nos ih contain some valeabie: ly ees as 
