62 Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. 



Andamans ; at Port Blair, Prain ! Penang ; Wallich 56J2 ! Perak ; 

 Gopiug, Kunstler 10621 2456! 5117! Scortechini 591! 1441! Ipoh, 

 Curtis Slol I DiSTRiB. S.-E. Asia. 



18. Canavalia DC. 



Large twining perennials or biennials with stipellate pinnately 3- 

 foliolate leaves and showy flowers. Calyx deeply tubular, limb 2-labiate, 

 the uppei' lip projecting, entire or emarginate the lower shortly 3- toothed. 

 Corolla far exserted ; stnndard large roundish ; wings shorter equalling 

 the incurved obtuse keel. Stamens monadelphous ; anthers uniform. 

 Ovary obscurely stalked niany-ovuled ; style incurved beardless, stigma 

 terminal. Pod large linear or oblong, flat or turgid with a longitudinal 

 ridge along each margin of the flattened upper suture. Species 10-12, 

 mostly American. 



Pods not targid, deeply double -channelled along the dorsal 



Buture : — 



Pods l'5-2 in. across ; flowers many ... ... I. C ensiformis. 



Pods 'S-'TS in. across ; flowers few ... ... 2. C. lineata. 



Pods turgid, almost flat along the dorsal suture ; endocarp 



separating ... ... ... ... •• 3. C. ohtusifolia. 



1. Canavalia ensiformis DC. Prodr. II, 404. A large biennial or 

 perennial climber with glabrous stems and branches. Leaves 3-foliolate 

 10-12 in. long ; leaflets green paler beneath, membranous, when young 

 puberulous, very soon quite glabrous ovate- acute, base rounded — in 

 lateral pair slightly obliquely ; 5-6 in. long, 2-5-4 in. wide ; petiole 6 

 in. long glabrous, petiolules '25 in. ; stipels '15 in. subulate very 

 early deciduous ; stipules small triangular '1 in. long, caducous. In- 

 florescence in lax 12-20-fld. racemes 3-8 in. long on axillary peduncles 

 4-6 in. long ; flowers solitary or geminate from swollen nodes *3-5 in. 

 apart, pedicels •1-15 in., bracteoles minute ovate caducous. Calyx 

 campanulate, sparsely puberulous reticnlate-veined '6 in. long, upper lip 

 oblong emarginate one-third the length of tube. Corolla lilac or white 

 15 in. long, limb of standard orbicular emarginate. Pods few, long, 

 linear-oblong, slightly curved, dorsal suture strongly 3-keeled and 

 deeply 2-grooved between the keels, 5-20-seeded, in length varying 

 from 6-24 inches, in depth from 1-5-2 m., distance between outer ridges 

 of dorsal suture '5 in. Seeds white, grey or more usually red, 125 in. 

 long, -75 in. wide. Bak. in Flor. Brit. Ind. II, 195. C. gladiata DO. 

 Prodr. II, 4D4 ; Wall. Cat. 5531 ; W. & A. Prodr. 253 ; Miq. Flor. Ind. 

 Bat. I, 216. Dolichos ensiformis Linn. Sp. PI. 725. D. gladiatus Jacq. 

 Coll. II, 276 ; Roxb. Hort. Beng. Ill, 300. 



In some of the provinces, cultivated ; as it almost universally ia 

 throughout the tropics. 



62 



