CHAPTER II. 



THE OP.DER LEGUMlNOSvE : JLLUSTRATED BY THE SWEET-PEA, THE 

 RED CLOVER, ACACIA ARMATA, THE SENSITIVE PLANT, THE 

 BARBADOES FLOWER-FENCE, THE CAROB-TREE, THE TAMARIND, 

 THE SENNA, THE GLEDITSCHIA, THE LOGWOOD, THE JUDAS- 

 TREE, AND THE KENTUCKY COFFEE-TREE. 



This order is a very numerous one, contain- 

 ing above three hundred genera, and including 

 several highly important plants, both for food 

 and commerce. As examples of the utility of 

 the Leguminosse for food, I need only mention 

 the pea and bean, and all their numerous allies ; 

 and as examples of their importance in medicine 

 and the arts, I may enumerate senna, liquorice, 

 the tamarind, gum-arabic, and logwood. Among 

 the ornamental plants belonging to this order 

 are, the Laburnum, the Furze or Gorse, the 

 Robinia or False Acacia, the true Acacias, the 

 Sensitive Plant, and the Barbadoes Flower- 

 fence. It will be seen by this enumeration, that 

 the flowers of the Lecruminosse differ from each 

 other nearly as much as those of Ranunculacese ; 

 but when in seed, they are all easily recognised 

 by their seed-vessels, which are always legumes, 

 that is, bearing more or less resemblance to the 

 pod of the common pea. To aid the memory 



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