18 



* MIICUNA pruriens. 

 West-Indian Cow-itch Plant. 



DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA. 



Nat. Ord. Fabace-e, or LeguminosvE § Papilionace^:. 



MUCUNA, Adans. Calyx campanulatus, bilabiatus, labio inferiore tri- 

 fido, laciniis acutis, media productiore, labio superiore latiore integro obtuso. 

 Corollas, vexillum assurgens alis carinaque brevius ; alae oblongse carinse longitu- 

 dine ; carina oblonga erecta acuta. Stamina diadelpha, antberis 5 oblongo-line- 

 aribus, 5 ovatis hirsutis. Legumen oblongum, torosum, bivalve, septis cellulosis. 



Semina subrotunda, bilo lineari circulariter cincta. Herba? aut Frutices 



longe scandentes. Folia pinnato-trifoliolata. ltacemi axillares fructiferi 

 soepius penduli. Legumina scepius hispida pilis innumeris fragilissimis cutem 

 facile penetrantibus, et ideb urentia. DC. prodr. 1. 405. 



M. pruriens ; floribus tematis racemosis, racemis multifloris foliis multo lon- 

 gioribus, leguminibus urentibus valvulis subcarinatis, foliolis subtus hirsutis 

 acutis medio rhomboideis, lateralibus extus dilatatis. 



M. pruriens. DC. prodr. 2. 405. Macfady.jl.ja?n.p. 294. 



Dolichos pru r iens. Linn, sp.pl. 1020. Jacq. stirp. amer. 201. £.222. 



The principal part of the stinging substance called Cow- 

 itch in the shops, is probably obtained from this plant, 

 w s hich grows commonly in many parts of the West Indies in 

 waste land, and in neglected cane-fields, along river courses, 

 and upon fences, round which its long twining stems rapidly 

 fix themselves. 



For the specimen which furnished the accompanying 

 drawing, I am indebted to Frederick Perkins, Esq., of Chip- 

 stead Place, in whose hot-house it produced, in September, 

 1836, an abundance of its long handsome racemes of purple 

 flowers. 



I find nothing to add to the excellent description given 

 by Jacquin in his Stirpes Americanse. The species is cer- 

 tainly very distinct from the East India M. prurita. 



* Mucuna is the Brazilian name of one of the species according to 



Marcgraaf. 



April, 1838. n 



