84 NEW SYLVA 



rhomboida], base acute, flowers in simple lax 

 nodding racemes, white odorous, pods smooth. 

 — From Kentucky to Alabama, but very local, 

 a fine tree 30 to 50 feet high, branches brittle, 

 wood branches petiols and nerves yellow, leaves 

 ample, folioles 3 to 6 inches long very smooth. 

 Flowers white fragrant like those of Robinia, 

 not yellow as stated by Nuttal and after him by 

 many, even Decandole ! Michaux does not say 

 so, in his colored trees they are white, his im- 

 proper name lutea applied to the wood not the 

 flowers, Nuttal did not see the flowers and mis- 

 took his meaning. 1 have seen them ! The 

 wood is yellow and dies yellow like Fustic. 

 The vulgar names are yellow wood and yellow 

 Locust. The V. Kentukensis of Dumont Cour- 

 set (Botaniste cultivateur) is only the young 

 tree before blooming. It blossoms only in May 

 for one week on the banks of the River Ken- 

 tucky. I shall add two other new Genera 

 rather akin but with yellow and blue flowers. 

 They all belong to the Leguminose, suborder 

 Lomentaria with free stamens, and natural 

 family of Sophorides. 



701. ZANTHYRSIS Raf. calix persistent 

 campanul. equaly Sdentate, petals 5 subequal 

 cuneate obtuse, 1 narrower, 10 stamens sube- 

 qual, pistil stipitate, podogyne villose longer 

 than calix, ovary smooth terete curved, style 

 very short, stigma acute, pod stipitate podo- 

 gyne tomentose, pod falcate subterete, seeds . . 

 Tree with odly pinnate leaves, no bracts^ 

 thyrsoidal yelloiv floicers^— This Genus is 

 nearer Sophora than the last, but has some very 

 peculiar characters, the name applies to the 

 yellow thyrsus. 



702. Zanthyrsis paniculata Raf Virgilia 



