36 



absorbed. 7/cod fibers about 2 ram. long 7/ith relatively- 

 thin walls and large cell cavities. Pits bordered and very 

 indistinct. Wood jjarenchjnna fibers abundantly develOiJed 

 around all vessels, which form very prominent tangential 

 lines (transverse sections) connecting the jjores. These 

 elements contain starch. Pith rays are very numerous, 

 uniformly scattered over the tangential section. They are 

 one, rarely two,.: cells wide and many times as high. 



Distribtttion, common names and uses . 



This beautiful tree apjpears to be restricted to the 

 Atratt' valley in Colombia, from where it v;as first re^iorted, 

 and the Panaman Darien, It is re;iarkable for its showy 

 f lov/ers , on account of which it was brought into cultiva- 

 tion in England as early as 1860. Among the natives it 

 is linovm under the name of "ariz4" which applies also to 

 other congeneric species. The trunk, which is seldom above 

 35 cm. in diameter, is usually hd»llow and inhabited by ants, 

 so that although the wood is hard and strong, it is not ge- 

 nerally used. 



The ligulate 3auhinia 



Bauhinia ligulata Pittier, Gontr. U.S. Hat. Herb. £0: 



112. 1918. 



Descri^ition of the tree 



A tree up to 40 ra. high and 80 cm. in diameter, the 

 trun]; straight, covered with a brownish, rimcse bark, the 

 limbs short, forming an elongated crown. Leaves coriaceoiis 

 the petioles slender, sulcate, £ cm. long, the blades heart- 

 shai^d, bu-cuspidate, 13-nerved, 4 to 10 cm. long, 4 to 

 7.5 cm. broad, glabrous above, ^aler and minutely pubes- 

 cent beneath; stipules very small, scariose and caducous. 

 Flowers numerous in terminal racemes; bracts very small 

 and deciduous; pedicels 2 to 6 mm. long, ferruginous-pu- 



