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XVI. Account of Ormosia, a new Genus of Decandrous Plants 

 helonging to the Natural Order of Leguminosce. By Mr. George 

 Jackson, F.L.S. 



Read February 6, 1810. 



Amongst a fine collection of Guiana plants in the herbarium 

 of A. B. Lambert, Esq. there are several specimens of a plant 

 ■with velvety branches, rigid pinnate leaves, and papilionaceous 

 flowers; the calyx bilabiate with the limb reflected, its upper 

 lip supporting the vexillum, being two-lobed, and the lower lip 

 three-parted : the stamens ten, separate, dilated towards the base, 

 and alternately longer : the style incurved and ciliate, bearing 

 two truncated unequal stigmas, the uppermost of which is largest, 

 and incurved towards the other. The germen is ovate and pu- 

 bescent, containing five seeds ; the fruit a short oblique woody 

 pod, opening with two valves, and containing in general only one 

 perfect seed, but is also occasionally found with two : these are 

 large, nearly oval, of a fine scarlet colour with a large black spot 

 on one side. From these singular characters, noticed some time 

 ago by Mr. Lambert, I was induced to examine some surround- 

 ing genera of the order, to endeavour to discover its congeners, 

 affinities, and proper place in the series ; and a plant with similar 

 scarlet and black seeds being enumerated in the Flora Guianen- 

 sis of Aublet, as a species of Robinia, but without any further 

 description, a reference to the Fseudo-acacia ingens,fructu coccineo, 



nigrd 



