I 



Neptunia.] xlvii. leguminos^. 653 



58. NEPTUNIA, Lour. 



Aquatic herb. Leaves bipinnate, sensitive; leaflets numerous, 

 membranous, oblong. Flowers minute in globose heads on erect 

 peduncles, lower ones with staminodes only. Calyx minute, 

 campanulate, 5-toothed. Petals 5* strap-shaped, connate at base. 

 Stamens exsert; anthers gland-crested. Ovary stalked. Stigma 

 clubbed. Pod oblong, coriaceous. Species 8, cosmopolitan. 



(i) N. oleracea Lour. Fl. Cochinchine, 654 ; Baker, in Hook. fil. 

 F.B.I, ii. 285 ; Prain, I.e. 244. Mimosa natans, Roxh. Cor. PI. t. 

 119. 



Floating herb with white fleshy horizontal stems. Leaves 

 bipinnate, 3 in. long ; pinnae 4 to 6, 2 to 3 in. long ; leaflets 8 to 

 15 pairs, 35 to -5 in. long, -2 in. wide. Peduncles 3 to 12 in. long; 

 heads "5 to 75 in. through, yellow. Corolla "05 in. long. Pod 

 oblong obhque, -5 to i in. long. Hah. Ditches. Formerly very 

 abundant in Singapore [fide Jagor). Malacca (Cuming). Selangor, 

 Klang (Burkill). Perak, Lenggong. Province Wellesley, Butter- 

 worth (King). Penang, Bagian Jennal (Curtis). Rahman, Kota 

 Bharu (Gwynne Vaughan). Tringganu (Yapp). Distrib. Tropics 

 generally. Use : As a pot herb. 



59. ADENANTHERA, Linn. 



Trees unarmed. Leaves bipinnate. Flowers minute in spike- 

 like racemes. Calyx campanulate, regular. Petals lanceolate 

 cohering at base. Stamens 10 ; anthers gland-tipped. Ovary 

 sessile, many-ovuled ; style filiform. Stigma capitate. Pod strap- 

 shaped, torulose, falcate, valves twisted after dehiscence. Seed 

 red, or red and black. Species 4, tropics of Old World. 



Leaves blunt glabrous beneath ; pinnae 8 to 1 2 . 



Seed all red . . . . . . . . (i) A. pavonina 



Leaves acute, puberulous beneath; pinnae 6 to 8. 



Seed black and red . . . . . . (2) A, bicolor 



(i) A. pavonina Linn. Sp. PI. 384 ; Prain, I.e. 243. 



Tree 20 to 30 ft. tall or more ; petioles 2 to 4 in. long ; rachis 6 to 

 10 in. long ; pinnae 8 to 12, opposite, 3 to 6 in. long ; leaflets alternate 

 10 to 16, ovate or oblong, base cuneate, tip blunt, membranous, 

 dark green above, glaucous beneath, glabrous. Racemes 2 to 6 in. 

 long, panicled on ends of branches. Flowers 'i^ in. long on slender 

 pedicels as long. Calyx green. Corolla pale yellow ; petals 

 narrow, lanceolate. Stamens hardly exsert, pink. Pod 6 to 9 in. 

 long, "6 in. wide, "3 in. thick contort in dehiscence. Seeds 10 to 15, 

 lenticular, -35 in. across, shining red. Hab. Dubiously wild here 

 and often planted. Singapore, Pasir Panjang; Lavender Road. 

 Malacca (Griflith). Negri Sembilan, Tampin Hifl. Jalor, Biserat 

 (Gwynne Vaughan). Lankawi (Curtis). Disirib. S.E. Asia. Native 

 names : Saga ; Kanduri Batang. 



