Gleditschia. XLVII. LEGUMINOS^. ;j^/ 



scattered hairs. Petioles channeled above, and distinguished by the pedicelled 

 gland near the base. Leaflets 1—2' by 4—9". Racemes in the upper axils, 

 forming a leafy panicle. Petals bright-yellow, 3 erect and 2 declined. In medi- 

 cine it is a mild cathartic. Aug. 



2. C. CHAM.ECRISTA. Sensitive Pea. Dioarf Cassia. 



St. erect or decumbent ; If is. 8 — 12 pairs, oblong-linear, obtuse, mucronate ; 

 giand on the petiole subsessife ; /osfjcte of Jlourrs supra-axillary, subsessile; 

 aiUAers 10, all fertile.— (j) An elegant plant", in dry soil, Mass. Mid. W. and S. 

 States. Stem J — 2f high, round, pubescent. Leaflets crowded, 4 — 8" by 1 — 2j", 

 smooth, subsessile. FloAvers large, 2, 3 or 4 in each fascicle. Bracts lance- 

 subulate, as are also the stipules, persistent. Petals bright yellow, the 2 upper 

 <jnes with a purple spot. Aug.— The leaves possess considerable irritability. 



3. C. NicTiTANs. Wild Sc7isitive Pl-anl. 



St. erect or procumbent ; Ifts. 6—15 pairs, oblong-linear, obtuse, mucro- 

 nate, sessile ; gland on the pctinle slightly pedicellate ; Jls. small, 2 or 3 in each 

 supra-axillary, subsessile fascicle ; sta. 5, subequal.— In dry sandy soils, Mass. 

 to La. Stem about If long, slender, a little brandling. Leaflets crowded, 4 — 

 6" by 1—2", common petiole 1—2' long, with the gland a line or two below the 

 .owest pair of leaflets. Flovv^ers very small, pale yellow, on .short pedicels. Jl. 

 — The leaves are quite sensitive, closing by night and when touched. 



36. GYMNOCLAdUS. Lam. 



Gr. yvjivoi, naked, kXo<!os, a shoot; for its coarse, naked shoots in winter- 



Flowers 9 c^- c^ Calyx tubular, 5-cleft, equal ; petals 5, inserted 

 into the summit of the tube; stamens 10, distinct. 9 Calyx and 

 corolla as above ; style 1 ; legumes 1-celled, oblong, very large, pulpy 

 within. — A slender, unarmed tree, with unequally bipinnaie Ivs. Ljh. 

 ovate., acuminate.' 



G. Canadensis. Lam. Coffee Tree. 



Grows in Western N. Y., Ohio, la. ! &c., on the borders of lakes and riv- 

 ers. Height 50f, with a trunk 15' diam., straight and^imple to the height of 

 25f, covered with a rough, scaly bark, and supporting a rather small, but regu- 

 lar head. The compound leaves are 2 — 3f long, and 15 — 20' wide, being doubly 

 compounded of a great number of dull green leaflets. Single leaflets often oc- 

 cupy the place of some of the pinna;. Flowers large and white, succeeded by 

 large, curving pods containing several hard, gray seeds. The wood is reddish, fine- 

 grained and strong, and is valuable in architecture, and cabinet-work. May — Jl. 



37. GLEDITSCHIA. 



In honor of John G. Gleditsch, a botanical writer, Leipzig, atjout 1750. 



Flowers 9 5 cT. Sepals equal, 3 — 5, united at base ; petals 3—5 ; 

 stamens 3 — 5, distinct, opposite the sepals, sometimes by abortion 

 fewer or ; style short ; legume continuous, compressed, often inter- 

 cepted between the seeds by a quantity of sweet pulp. — Trees, loith 

 swpra-axillary., branched spines. Lvs. abruptly pinnate and bipinnate 

 often in the sa^ne specimen. 



•■i^lG. TRIACANTH0S. Honcij Locust. 

 T>Br 



. ^ranches armed with stout, triple .spines; Ifls: alternate, oblong-lanceo- 

 late, obtuse; leg. linear-oblong, compressed, intervals filled with sweet pulp. — 

 This fine tree, native from Penn. to Mo. and La., is becoming common in cul- 

 tivation. In favorable circumstances it attains the height of 70f, undivided half 

 its length, with a diameter of 3— 4f The thorns with which its branches are 

 armed in a most formidable manner, arc 2—3' long, ligneous, often having 3 

 secondary ones branching from the sides. Foliage light and elegant. Leaflets 

 about IS, 1— U' long, \ as v.^ide, 1, 3 or 3 of them frequently transformed, either 

 partly or wholly, into smaller leaflets ((» 240, 6). Flowers small, white, suc- 

 ceeded bv flat, crooked, hanging pods 13—18' long, of a dull red. Seeds flat, 

 iiard, brown, imbedded in a fleshy substance, at first sweet but becomes sour. J n. 



