46 



Papillonatae 

 She Sj^otted Jliricidla 



v>liric;idia laacalata H.B.i:., ilov. Gen. &. 3>j. 6:393. 1623. 



DesGrijjtion of the tree 



A deoiducus tree 5 to 7 n. high and up to 30 cm. in 

 diameter et the base, the truiik usually low and crooked, co- 

 vered -.vith a grayish, rimose or smooth bark, the crown lev/, 

 elongate or spreading; branchlets grayish, verruculose, gla- 

 brous or pubescent. Leaves imps rip innate, glabrous, the 

 rachis slender, 10 to 25 cm. long; leaflets )) to 17, 

 opposite or alternate, subcoriaceous, the petiolules slender, 

 3 to 5 mm. long, the blades ovate to ovate-elliptic, broadly 

 rounded at the base, subacuminate, obtuse or acute at the 

 apex, 3 to 7 cm. long, 2 to 3 cm. broad, purplish spotted 

 on the lower face. Inflorescences racemose, glabrous, 5 to 

 10 cm. long, growing from the wood cf the preceedlng- year, 

 the rachis flowered almost from the base; flowers opposide 

 or alternate, numerous; bracts very small, pubescent, deci- 

 duous; pedicels 4 to 6 mm. long, very slender; calyx oblinue, 

 turliinate-campanulate, entire, puberulous, persistent. Co- 

 rolla lavender and white, the standard suborbiculate , emar- 

 ginate at the apex, short unguioulate, about 1,3 cm. long 

 and broad, yellow spotted at the base, the wings oblong, un- 

 guiculate, 1- auricula te, obtuse at the aj^ex, about 13 mm. 

 long and 6 mm. broad, the careen shorter, its petals long 

 unguiculate, adhering at the apex; stamens 10, the vexillar 

 one free, the others adioate in an open tube; ovary stipi- 

 tate, linear, com^^ressed, glabrous, 10 or 11-ovulate; style 

 short, ascendent; stigma capitellate. Legume stipitate, 

 obtuse, 10 to 12 cm. long, 1.5 cm. broad, flat, glabrous, 

 dehiscent, the margins slightly prominent; seeds suborbi- 

 Gulate, impressed, brown, abcut 11 mm. long oy 10 .nia. broad. 



Description of the wood 



Sapwood moderately thin, yellowish, turning reddish- 

 brown on exposure; heartwood darker, tinged with red and 

 occasionally quite dark. iVood when young moderately light, 

 becoming hard and heavy in old matured trees. It is very 

 tough, close-grained, difficult to split, taking very good 



