STANDLEY TREES AND SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 425 



chapa " (Guatemala); " cuacamaya " (Cuba); " nialinche," ' " guacaiuaya pe- 

 quefia " (Nicaragua); " barbon " (El Salvador); " eaballero " (Philippines); 

 " carzazo " ( Santo Domingo) , 



The English names are " Barbados-flower," " Barbados-pride," " flower- 

 fence," and " bird-of-paradise flower." The flowers are sweet-scented and are 

 said to yield a good quality of honey. The fruit contains tannin and is some- 

 times used for tanning skins. It is said to give a yellow dye with alum and 

 a black dye with iron salts, and the root is reported to yield a red dye. In 

 India the charred wood is used to make ink. The large seeds are sometimes 

 cooked and eaten when green. In Sinaloa it is reported that a kind of rubber 

 is extracted from the seeds and made into balls or " pelotas." In domestic 

 medicine the plant is employed in many ways. The leaves are sometimes used 

 to adulterate senna. The early inhabitants of Mexico used a decoction of the 

 leaves for liver affections and as a wash for ulcers of the mouth and throat. 

 The flowers are reputed to have purgative, febrifuge, and emmenagogue prop- 

 erties, and a decoction is a popular remedy for erysipelas and for infllimmation 

 of the eyes. In Nicaragua the astringent infusion of the bark is used as a wash 

 for the teeth and gums. Infusions of the leaves, roots, or bark are employed 

 in various places for colds, fevers, cutaneous diseases, and as a purge, and are 

 said even to induce abortion. It is reported that in Guatemala the leaves are 

 thrown in water to stupefy fish. 



A related species, C. gilliesii (Hook.) Wall., known as "bird-of-paradise 

 flower," is sometimes cultivated in northern Mexico. It is distinguished by 

 the copious pubescence and very viscid inflorescence. 



13. Caesalpinia melanadenia (Rose) Standi. 



Poinciana melanadenia Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 13: 303. 1911. 

 Puebla and Oaxaca ; type from TehuacJin, Puebla. 



Low shrub with reddish brown branches ; leaflets oval or obovate, about 5 

 mm. long. 



14. Caesalpinia pannosa T. S. Brandeg. Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 2: 150. 1889. 

 Poinciana pannosa Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat Herb. 13: 303. 1911. 



Baja California ; type from San Jorge, 



Unarmed shrub, 0.6 to 1.2 meters high ; bark white, peeling in thin sheets ; 

 leaflets oval, 7 to 15 mm. long, glabrous ; flowers pale yellow, in lax racemes ; 

 fruit flat, about 4 cm. long and 1.5 cm. wide, bearing numerous small black 

 glands. 



15. Caesalpinia placida T. S. Brandeg. Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 3: 131. 1891. 

 Poinciana placida Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 13: 303. 1911. 



Baja California ; type from La Paz. 



Unarmed shi'ub, 1 to 3.5 meters high ; bark dark brown ; leaflets oblong, 4 to 

 6 mm. long, gland-dotted ; inflorescence very glandular ; flowers bright yellow, 

 the calyx and pedicels dark red. 



16. Caesalpinia phyllanthoides Standi., sp. nov. 



Type from Hacienda Buena Vista, Tamaulipas {Wooton, June 18. 1919; U. S. 

 Nat. Herb. no. 989730). 



Low slender shrub with glabrous branchlets ; leaves 5 to 9 cm. long, long- 

 petioled, glabrous ; pinnae 3 or 4 "pairs, long-stalked ; leaflets usually 3 pairs, 

 3 to 7 mm. long, 3 to 4.5 mm. wide, orbicular to oval, subcoriaceous, with rather 



'Derived from the Nahuatl, malichtic, a plume, especially one worn on the head 

 (panache), referring to the long hairlike stamens. Malinche was also the name 

 given to Cortes, because of his association with the Indian woman Malintzin or 

 Marina, who during the Conquest acted as interpreter between the Mexicans and 

 Spaniards. 



