xi.viii. i.r.ni'MiNos.i:. 435 



ill slciidri- nict'ii'.c.s or globose iiiiihcls. Sepals \alvate, coimale into ;i 

 i")-looliied or o-lobeil calyx, rarely free. Petals vulval e, e(iual in miiiiber 

 to the .sepals, I'ree or connate into a lobed corolla, liypogynous or 

 obscnrely perijiynoiis. Stamens usnally exserled, equal in iiurnl)er (o 

 the .sepals or twice or thrice as many, or indefinite, free or monadelphous, 

 or adnate to the base of the tube of the corolla ; anthers dehiscing 

 lon<i;itu(linally. Ovary free, in the bottom of the calyx. Seeds exal- 

 bnminous or with scanty albumen ; cotyledons Dat ; radicle straight, 

 shortly exserted or included. 



StcamiMis definite, a-lO (iisiiully 10). 



Antliors glaIul-c^e^^^l'd, at least in an early stage. 

 Flowers in globose heads. 



H orbs 71. jVeptunia. 



A tree 7-. Xyli.v. 



Flowers in clonrralo spikes. 



A large ciri-liileruns climber 73. Entada. 



Frect trees or shrubs. 



Not prickly 74. ADENA.NTnEnA. 



Prickly. 



F(jd turgid, straight 7i>. Prosopis. 



I'od tiiin, finally twisted 70. DicnuoSTACiivs. 



Antliers not gland-crested. 



Pod straight, with continuous valves, dehiscing 



through tiie sutures 77. Leuc.ena. 



Pod sliglitly curved, with segmented valves, with 



persistent indehiscent sutures 78. Mi.mosa. 



Stamens ijidefinite, 



Stamens free 79. Acacia, 



Stamens monadelphous. 



Pod straight, flat 80. Albizzia. 



Pod circinate, ol'ten twisted 81. Pitjiecolobiusi. 



71. NEPTUNIA, Lour. 



Herbs without prickles, diffuse, prostrate or floating. Leaves 2- 

 pinnate ; stipules membranous, obliquely cordate, persistent. Leaflets 

 luimerous, small. Plowers 5-meroiis, sessile, in dense heads on axillary 

 solitary peduncles, polygamous, the upper flowers in each head herma- 

 ])hrodite, the lower usually male or barren. Calyx small, campanulate, 

 5-toothed. Petals o, strap-shaped, connate near the base. Stamens 

 10 (rarely 5), free, exserted ; anthers gland-crested. Ovary stalked; 

 ovules many; style filiform; stigma terminal, small, concave. Pod 

 coriaceous, flattened, ligulate or oblong, 2-valved, subseptate betweeu 

 the seeds. — Uistkib. Cosmopolitan in the Tropics ; species 8. 



Annua], aquatic 1. iV'. olcrarca. 



Perennial, terrestrial 2. X triqucira. 



1. Neptunia oleracea. Lour. Fl. Cochinch. (ITi'ni) p. 054. Annual, 

 floating ; stem elongate, soft, swollen, not much branched, emitting 

 slender tibrous roots in abundance from the leaf- aiid flower-bearing 

 nodes. l>eaves abruptly 2-pinnate ; stipules obliquely ovate-cordate, 

 acute; connnon petioles I5 1| in. long; piinue 2-;} pairs, opposite, 

 shortly stalked. Leaflets S-lo pairs, sessile, g-j by jj-^ in., narrow- 

 oblong, obtuse, glabrous. Flowers minute, sessile, in oblong heads 

 4-| in. long, the lower flowers replaced by numerous yellow staminodes 

 l-^ in. long; })ediincles 3-6 in. lung, stout, erect, tapering, glabrous, 



