XCIV. BIGNONIACE.^. 331 



5. STEREOSPERMUM, Cham. 



Trees. Leaves opposite, imparipinnate. Flowers ia terminal panicles. 

 Calyx campanulate, 2-5-lobed or 5-toothed. Corolla tubular-naiopanu- 

 late, curved, often pubescent or woolly outside, bearded inside on the 

 lower, glabrous on the upper side ; limb o-lobed, sub-bilabiate, the 2 

 upper lobes more or less connate. Stamens 4 (with a rudimentary 5th), 

 didynamous, included ; anthers glabrous, the cells much divergent. 

 Disk cupular, fleshy. Ovary elongate, 2-celled ; ovules many, 2-seriate 

 in each cell, horizontal. Capsule linear, cyhndric or 4-gonous, often 

 spirally twisted, 2-valved ; valves coriaceous ; dissepiment at length 

 free, spongy, filling the whole capsule. Seeds numerous, with a mem- 

 branous wing at each end ; nucleus thick, with a transverse groove on 

 one side and a prominent ridge on the other, which fits into a deep pit 

 in the placenta. — Distkib. Tropical Asia and Africa ; species about 12. 



Branches of the panicle slender, glabrous; corolla under 1 in. 



long, yellow tinged with purple ; capsule subquadrangular ... 1. S. chelotioides. 



Branches of the panicle short, viscidly hairy ; coi'olU dull- 

 purple, 1 in. and more long; capsule cylindric 2. S. suaveolens. 



1. Stereospermum chelonoides, DC. Prodr. v. 9 (1845) p. 210. 

 A large deciduous tree, 30-GO ft. high, with many spreading branches, 

 glabrous or nearly so ; bark thick, yellowish. Leaves 1-pinnate, 12-18 

 in. long ; leaflets 3-5 pairs and an odd one, 4-5 by 1-2 in., elliptic, 

 caudate-acuminate, glabrous, base acute or rounded, often unequal-sided ; 

 main nerves 8-10 pairs with reticulate venation between ; petiolules of 

 the lateral leaflets |-g in. long. Flowers fragrant, in lax drooping 

 terminal panicles with articulated slender glabrous branches. Calyx 

 ^ in. long, campanulate, glabrous, usually purple, shortly 3-5-toothed. 

 Corolla I in. long, yellow, veined and tinged with reddish-purple, more 

 or less pubescent outside, bearded inside on the lower, glabrous on tho 

 upper side ; lobes of the limb rounded, crisped. Filaments with a short 

 tuft of woolly hairs at the very base, otherwise glabrous. Capsules 

 1-2 ft. by I in., subquadrangular, curved, pointed, more or less spirally 

 twisted, often dotted with white specks; dissepiment subcyliudrie, 

 brown, with open notches to receive the seeds. Seeds 1-1^ in. long, 

 readily splitting along the transverse furrow. Fl. B. I. v. 4, p. 382 ; 

 Wight, Icon. t. 1341 ; Bedd. Flor. Svlvat. t. 72 ; Trim. Fl. Ceyl. v. 3, 

 p. 283 ; Talb. Trees, Bomb. ed. 2, p. 258 ; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. 

 V. 12 (1899) p. 354 ; Watt, Diet. Econ. Prod. v. 6, part 3, p. 366. 

 Bic/nonia chelonoides, Linn. f. Suppl. (1781) p. 282 ; Grab. Cat. p. 125. 

 Httcrojyhragma chelonoides, Dalz. & Gibs. p. 160. — Flowers : Apr.-June 

 Ver^. Padal. 



Da^seW without locality in Herb. Kew. ! Konkan : Bankot, Woodrow; throughrut 

 the Konkan in moist forests, Talhot. Deccan : Khandala, Woodrow ; Lanoli Grove, 

 Woodrow; ravine near Par, Graham. S. M. Country: Belgaum, Ritchie, 1124! 

 Kanaka : N. Kanara, in evei-green and deciduous moist forests, Talbot — Distrib. 

 Throughout moister India ; Oeylon, Ava. 



The leaves, roots, and flowers have some repute in native medicine. See Watt, 

 Diet. Econ. Prod. 1. c. 



2. Stereospermum suaveolens, DQ. Prodr. v. 9 (1845) p. 211. 

 A deciduous tree 30-60 ft. high, more or less pubescent ; yonng parts 



z2 



