Atf/losia.] XL. LEGUMINOS.K. 265 



ovaries I have examined.— Islauds of the Gulf of Carpentaria, R. Brown (specimens rnther 

 doubtful, scarcely cancsccnt, and possibly a var. of A. ^randifolia), 



63. RHYNCHOSIA, Lour. 



(Nomismia, IF, and Am.; Copisma, E, Mef/.) 



Calyx 2 upper lobes more or less united. Standard obovate or orbicular, 

 usually with inflexed auricles at the base, rarely callous inside; keel inctuTefl, 

 obtuse or rarely beaked ; wings narrower or rarely obovate, and often shorter. 

 Upper stamen free, the others united ; anthers uniform. Ovary sessile or 

 nearly so, with 2 or very rarely 1 ovule ; style curved above the middle and 

 often thickened ; stigma tenniual. Pod flattened, oblong or falcate, 2-valved, 

 rarely divided inside. Seeds ovoid, rounded or almost reniform, with a lateral 

 short or oblong hiium. the fuuiele centrally attached, with or withont a stro- 

 phiole. — Trailing; or twiniu"; herbs or erect undershrnbs or low shrnbs, often 



tomentose and usually sprinkled with resinous dots. Leaves piimately 3- 



foliolate, rarely in species not Australian 1- or 5-foliolate, without any or 



with small setaceous stipellse. Stipules broad or linear or very small or none. 



Peduncles axillary, bearing a raceme or rarely single flowers, usually yellow, 



the standard often streaked with purple. Bracts very deciduous; bracteoles 

 none. 



A considerable genus, dispersed over the warmer resrions of the globe, especially S. Amc- 

 rica and Afi-ica, with several Asiatic species, and a few iu N. America. Of the six Au9- 

 tra inn species, one is very common both in the New and the Old World, the others are all 

 endemic, although one is closely allied to a common S. American one. 

 Stems erect and shrubby. 

 Leaflets minutely tomentose, slightly rugose. Peduncles slender, 



1-or few-flowered. Keel obtuse. Seeds stropbiolate . , . 2. -B. acidifoha. 

 -Leaflets softly tomentose, very rugose. Pedicels short, axillary. 

 Keel beaked , 3, 5. rostrafa. 



Mems trailing or twining. . Flowers racemose, 

 ■loa nearly as broad as long, membranous, transversely reticulate. 



feeeds stropbiolate. Calyx-lobes much longer than the tube . 1. R- rhomhoidea. 

 i^tJd falcate, much longer than broad. Seeds not stropbiolate. 

 Pod tomentose, depressed between the seeds. Leaflets mostly 

 abuve 2 in. long. Calyx-lobes shorter than the tube . . . 

 Pod nearly glabrous or hairy. Leaflets not nmeh above 1 in. 



long. Calyx-lobes rather longer than the tube, . . 



^ owers scarcely above 3 lines long \' ^ minima, 



■lowers nearly 5 lines long . . ♦ • 



' ^ " Mudh Herb, Diffuse, trailing or slightly 



Leaflets broadly ovate, 



4. R, CunnhighamiL 



australis. 



fi,.» — . Standard about 3 lines lon^S keel obtuse. , 



'^Worm. Pod flat, 6 or 7 lines Ion-, 4 to 5 lines broarl, not acuuunate the 

 ^Jlves thin, with fine transverse retieulations. Seeds with a thick flesliy stro- 

 piiiole. 



W- Australia. Victoria river, F. Mueller. Nearl)- allied to R. nummularia, DC, in 



