■^ The Liberian Flora 



2| ft. in diameter, stout woody spines, 9 — 13-foliolate leaves, firm 

 leaflets, ^ — i in. by | — J in., rather copious dense panicles (i — 3 in. 

 long) of white papilionaceous flowers, ^ in. long, and i — 4-seeded 

 glabrous thin pods, i — 2i in. by i in. — This is widely spread 

 throughout Africa, and also occurs very probably in Liberia. 

 It possesses a very hard jet-black or brownish black heart- 

 wood which is used like ebony and is known as " African Black- 

 wood " or " Senegal Ebony." 



Drepanocarpus lunatus, C. F. Mey. : a glabrous straggling shrub or 

 small tree with numerous recurved spines, pinnate 5 — 7-foliolate 

 coriaceous leaves, panicles of white papilionaceous flowers, ^ in. 

 long, and sickle-shaped i-seeded coriaceous pods, i^ by | in.; 

 common near water, Monrovia, IVkyte ! ; Grand Basa, Vogel, 99! 



Pterocarpus esculentus, Schuvi. : a shrub or tree with glabrous leaves, 

 4 — 8 in. long, of 5 — 7 alternating elliptic or oblong leaflets, short 

 dense axillary velvety racemes of yellowish papilionaceous 

 flowers, under i| in. long and winged roilndish pods, i| in. in 

 diameter, and very rough in the thickened centre ; Kakatown, 

 IV/iyte ! — The seeds are eaten, but produce, it is said, intoxication. 



Ostryocarpus riparius, Hook. f. {syn. Millettia micrantha. Harms.): a 

 glabrous rambling or climbing .shrub, sometimes of considerable 

 size with long-stalked pinnate 5 -foliolate leaves, elliptic coriaceous 

 leaflets, 4 — 6 in. by i^ — 3 in., ample panicles of dense short 

 (i — I in. long) racemes of yellowish papilionaceous flowers, ^ in. 

 long, and flat indehisccnt pods, 2 in. by I — 2 in. ; common near 

 water, in the littoral, Fishtown, Dinklage, 1725!; Sino Basin, 

 Whyte ! 



*0. major, Stapf: similar to the preceding but with 7-foliolate leaves, 

 longer panicle branches and slightly larger flowers ; Monrovia, 

 Whyte ! 



Lonchocarpus sericeus, //. B. K. : an ornamental shrub or tree with 

 downy twigs, 7 — i i-foliolate coriaceous leaves, dense racemes 

 or panicles of fragrant lilac or purple papilionaceous flowers 

 with a silky standard, | — | in. long, and flat woody pods, 

 3 — 4 in. by f in. ; Grand Basa, Vogel, 67 ! ; Cape Palmas, 

 Vogel, 2 1 ! — The wood is very hard and heavy. 



L. barter!, BeiitJi. : a lofty woody twiner with glabrous pinnate 

 leaves, | — i ft. long, usually 5 — 7 oblong to elliptic long 

 acuminate leaflets, long slender interrupted spikelike racemes 



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