414 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL, HERBARIUM. 



or sometimes bifoliolate ; flowers racemose, usually large and showy, the 

 racemes often paniculate ; fruit flat, indehiscent or bivalvate. 



There are many species of the genus in the East Indies, some of which 

 are cultivated in tropical America because of their very showy flowers. Some 

 of the Old World representatives yield a gum which, however, is of little 

 importance, and the bark of certain species is used for tanning. Others 

 have bark which furnishes dyes or from which rope is made, some are said 

 to be employed as fish poisons, and some have edible flowers and seeds. Vermi- 

 fuge properties are ascribed to certain species, and others are employed as 

 remedies for liver affections. 



The following names are reported for Mexican species whose identification is 

 uncertain: " Timbe " (Jalisco); " hierba de la vaca " (Durango) ; " papalo- 

 cuahuite" (San Luis PotosI). 

 Stamens 10, all or 5 of them perfect. 

 Plants armed with spines. 



Lobes of the leaves acute 1. B. leptopetala. 



Lobes rounded 2. B. longiflora. 



Plants unarmed. 



Leaves bifoliolate 3. B. heterophylla. 



Leaves simple. 



Fruit elliptic-oblong 4. B. glabra. 



Fruit linear. 



Leaves 3.5 cm. long or shorter, the lobes broadly rounded. 



5. B, andrieuxii. 



Leaves 4 to 11 cm. long, the lobes acute or acutish 6. B. ung'ulata. 



Stamens, except one or two, sterile and reduced to staminodia. 

 Leaves all or mostly bifoliolate. 



Leaflets 2-nerved ; flowers solitary 7. B. ramosissima. 



Leaflets 3-iierved ; flowers racemose. 



Leaflets less than 2.5 cm. long 8. B. ung'uicularis. 



Leaflets 2.5 to 5 cm. long 9. B. uniflora. 



Leaves simple. 



Petals 2, much shorter than the calyx lobes 10. B. dipetala. 



Petals 5, equaling or much longer than the calyx lobes. 



Learves not bilobate 11. B. jenningsii. 



Leaves all or mostly bilobate. 



Leaves lobed more than halfway to the base. 

 • Leaves coriaceous, reticulate-veined, deeply cordate at base. 



14. B. pes-caprae. 

 Leaves membranaceous, not reticulate-veined, shallowly or not at all 

 cordate at base. 

 Pedicels less than 5 mm. long, stout ; pubescence of the petals ap- 



pressed IS* B, lunarioides. 



Pedicels 7 to 12 mm. long, slender; claws of the petals pilose with 

 spreading white hairs. 



Leaves broader than long, about 3 cm. long 16. B. lunaria. 



Leaves as long as broad or longer, 7 to 15.5 cm. long. 



17. B. pringlei. 

 Leaves lobed less than halfway to the base, or barely to the middle. 



Petals nearly sessile, the claw very short 18. B. coulteri. 



Petals borne on long slender claws. 



Petals densely pilose or tomontose, nt least on the clnw and lower 

 part of blade. 



