18 FLOEIDA VELVET BEAN AND RELATED PLANTS. 



tified with Mucuna capitata Wight and Arnott, the following infor- 

 mation is given: 



Jap. Osharaku-mame, Hassho-mame; an annual leguminous climber cultivated in 

 common dry land. The young soft grains are eaten boiled and have a taste of Vicia 

 faba L., but this bean contains a poisonous ingredient in a slight quantity; so it is 

 advisable to eat moderately. 



Stizolobium hassjoo is by far the earliest species known to us. 

 Planted at Biloxi, Miss., April 19, 1909, it was perfectly mature and 

 dry on September 20; at Gainesville, Fla., it was fully mature by Sep- 

 tember 27, having been planted on May 1; at Monetta, S. C, it was 

 planted June 15 and the pods were mature enough to ripen when the 

 vines were killed by frost on October 25; at the Arlington Experi- 

 mental Farm, near Washington, D. C, it was in full bloom on October 

 12, having been planted on June 21. The individual plant will cover 

 a plat 3 to 4 feet square, which will indicate the proper distance to 

 plant. 



This species was also grown at Manhattan, Kans., in 1890 under the 

 name Mucuna capitata, by Prof. C. C. Georgeson. From seed planted 

 May 19 the plant began to bloom August 7 and matured a few pods 

 before frost." 



This plant is mentioned by Siebold (Verhandelingen van het 

 Bataviaasch Genootschap, 1830, vol. 12, p. 55) under the name 

 Dolichos Jiassjoo, and the Japanese name "Hassjoomame" is cited, 

 but no description given. We have thought it best, however, to use 

 the same specific name. 



STIZOLOBIUM ATERRIMUM. 



Stizolobium aterrimum n. sp. Mauritius or Bengal bean. (PI. IV, B, 

 and PI. VII.) 



Vine very strong and vigorous, the stem striate but scarcely furrowed, covered with 

 a soft, sparse pubescence; leaflets very large, plane, mostly acute, strongly mucronate, 

 sparsely appressed-pubescent on each side; racemes pendent, 18 to 30 inches long, 

 many flowered; flowers purple; calyx not saccate, densely appressed-pubescent with- 

 out and within; pods falcate, about 4 inches long, black when mature, sparsely cov- 

 ered with a short, white, appressed pubescence; median ridge on valves prominent 

 but sometimes broken; secondary ridge faint or wanting; seeds four or five, oblong, 

 black, very shiny, 10 to 12 mm. long, the prominent hilum white. 



This species is apparently much more widely cultivated than any 

 other and has been obtained from the following sources: 



S. P. I. Nos. 19181 and 21300, from Piracicaba, Brazil. 



S. P. I. No. 22031, from Sydney, New South Wales, under the name 



"Black Mauritius bean." 

 S. P. I. No. 22032, from Kamerunga, Queensland, Australia, under the 



name "Black Mauritius bean." 



a See Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 19, December, 1890, p. 199. 

 179 



