478 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



Graced edtvardsii sericea A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. 17: 201. 1882. 



Cracca sericea A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. 19: 74. 1883. 



Brittonamra sericea Kearney, Trans. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 14: 32. 1894. 



Benthamantha sericea Britt. & Baker, Journ. Bot. Brit. & For. 38: 19. 1900. 



Benthamantha fruticosa Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 8 : 99. 1906. 



Baja California to Chihuahua, Yucatfln, and Chiapas. Southern Arizona ; 

 Central America and northern South America ; type from Venezuela. 



Slender shrub, 0.6 to 1.5 meters high, or often herbaceous; leaflets mostly 

 oval, 1 to 3.5 cm. long; flowers small, yellow striped with brown or purple; 

 fruit about 6 cm. long and 3.5 mm. wide. 



A veiy variable species, with a wide range. It may be possible to divide it 

 into two or more species, but no constant lines of separation are apparent. 

 The pubescence of the stems is either appressed or spreading, in varying 

 degrees. The eai-lier or larger leaves are often trifoliolate, while the upper 

 leaves on the same plant are usually multifoliolate. The leaflets are often 

 mottled with bronze and green. Specimens of this species have been reported 

 from Yucatan as Tephrosia cinerea Pers. and as Cracca cinerea (Pers.) 

 Morong. 



The writer has seen no specimens of B. carihaea (Jacq.) Kuntze from 

 Mexico, although it might be expected in Yucatan. It resembles B. mollis, but 

 has much larger flowers. 



22. DIPHYSA Jacq. Enum. PI. Carib. 7. 1760. 



Unarmed shrubs or small trees ; leaves pinnate, the leaflets few, thin ; 

 flowers rather large, yellow, racemose ; fruit inflated but compressed. 



Some of the species — probably all of them — yield a yellow dye. The ver- 

 nacular names " macano " and " cacique " are said to be applied in Panama to 

 D. carthagi/nensis Jacq. 



Inflorescence densely viscid-pubescent or covered with long, stout, spinelike 

 hairs. 

 Inflorescence viscid-pubescent, without spinelike hairs. 



Fruit 3 to 5 cm. long 1, D. racemosa. 



Fruit 6 to 11 cm. long i 2. D. macrocarpa. 



Inflorescence scarcely or not at all viscid, covereid with long spinelike hairs. 



3. D. thurberi. 

 Inflorescence neither viscid-pubescent nor with spinelike hairs. 



Racemes usually 1 or 2-flowered ; leaflets 5 mm. long or shorter ; branches 



puberulent 4. D. minutifolia. 



Racemes with few or numerous flowers; leaflets usually much more than 5 

 mm. long, or if small the branches glabrous. 



Stipe of the fruit much longer than the calyx 5. D. sennoides. 



Stipe equaling or shorter than the calyx. 

 Pedicels with at least a few short hairs in anthesis ; leaflets mostly 1.5 to 



3 cm. long, bright green on the upper surface 6. D. robinioides. 



Pedicels wholly glabrous ; leaflets mostly less than 1.5 cm. long, com- 

 monly grayish green. 



Fruit less than 1.5 cm. wide 7. D. suberosa. 



Fruit 2 to 3 cm. wide 8. D, occidentalis. 



1. Diphysa racemosa Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 1: 97. pi. 3. 1891. 

 Sonora to Guerrero and Morelos; t.vpe from Alamos, Sonora. 

 Shrub, 1.5 to 3 meters high, very viscid ; leaflets usually 9 to 17, oval or 

 oblong, 0.5 to 2.5 cm. long, pnle beneath ; racemes long, numerous, the flowers 

 about 2 cm. long; fruit about 4 cm. long and 1.5 cm. wide. 



The plant has a disagreeable odor. The wood is hard and yellow. 



