272 105. LEGUMINOSAE 



Flowers not vcrj^ small, in usually terminal or leaf-opposed racemes, 

 Fruit with a more or less herbaceous pericarp, dehiscing b}' two valves. 



233 



233. Flowers with rather large bracteoles, violet. Ovary shortly stalked. 



Stigma penicillate. Fruit 4-vvinged, septate. Stem twining. Leaflets 

 with stipels. Stipules spurred. — Species 4. Tropics. The roots and 

 the fruits are used as vegetables. {Botor Adans.) Psophocarpus Neck. 

 Flowers without bracteoles. Ovary sessile. Fruit flat. Leaflets without 

 stipels, usually with numerous parallel side-nerves. — Species 130. 

 Some of them yield dyes, poisons, and medicaments. {Cracca L., 

 including Pogonosiigma Boiss. and Requienia DC.) Tephrosia Pers. 



234. Connective of the stamens ending in a small point, a gland, or a tuft of 



hairs. Keel straight or slightly ciu-ved. Fruit with transverse par- 

 titions. Plants clothed with appressed hairs fixed by the middle. . 235 

 Connective without an appendage. Hairs rarely affixed by the middle. 



236 



235. Keel beaked. Anthers bearded at base and apex. Style boat-shaped 



below. Ovules 4 — 6. Fruit short-stalked, turgid. (See 151.) 



Rhynchotropis Harms 



Keel blunt or somewhat pointed, gibbous or sprured on each side. Style 



thread-shaped. Fruit sessile or nearly so. (See 215.) Indigofera L. 



236. Ovule 1 237 



Ovules 2 or more 238 



237. Leaflets with stipels. Flowers in racemes, with broad bracteoles. Calyx- 



lobes narrow, subequal. Fruit dehiscing by two valves. — Species 2. 



Madagascar. Leptodesmia Benth. 



Leaflets without stipels. Leaves gland-dotted. Fruit indehisccnt ; peri- 

 carp adnate to the seed. (See 153.) .... Psoralea L. 



238. Ovules 2. Corolla usually yellow 239 



Ovules 3 or more. Corolla usually red 240 



239. Seeds oblong, without an outgrowth at the hilum ; hilum linear, the 



funicle affixed at its apex. Upper calyx-lobes separate or shortly united. 

 Standard oblong or obovate. Erect or decumbent, rarely twining 

 plants. — Species 55. Tropical and South Africa. The roots of one 



species are used in making beer Eriosema DC. 



Seeds orbicular or reniform, with a more or less distinct outgrowth at the 

 hilum ; hilum orbicular or oblong, the funicle affixed at or nearly in the 

 middle. Upper calj'x-lobes more or less united. Standard orbicular or 

 obovate. Twining or decumbent, more rarely erect plants. — Species 

 100. Tropical and South Africa and Egypt. {Dolicholus Medik.) 



Rhynchosia Lour. 



240. Calyx-lobes long, stiff, very unequal, the two upper ones united high up. 



Style thread-shaped, glabrous. Fruit jointed, indehiscent. Leaves 

 unifoliolate, usually stipellate. Stipules membranous. Flowers small. 



