172 MONADELPHIA. 



except at their bases. The most important tribes in this 

 class, are the Geranium, the Passion Flower, the Mallows 

 the Stork's Bill, the Althaea, the Hibiscus, and the Camellia, 

 which contains the Tea plant. The orders in this class 

 depend on the number of stamens, and not on thai of the 

 styles, as in the former classes. 



ORDER I. TRIANDRTA. Stamens 3. 



GENUS Tamarindus. Tamarind tree. Name Latinized 

 from the Arabic Tamar-hindy, or Indian Date. The Tama- 

 rind tree is a native of the East and West Indies, and of 

 Arabia and Egypt. It is a large, beautiful, spreading tree. 

 The leaves are abrubtly pinnate, composed of sixteen or 

 eighteen pairs of sessile leaflets, half an inch only in length, 

 and one sixth of an inch broad, of a bright green color, 

 downy, entire, and obtuse. The flowers are in loose bunches 

 of five, or six, which grow on the sides of the branches ; 

 petals yellowish, and beautifully variegated with red veins ; 

 filaments purplish, bearing incumbent brownish anthers ; 

 pods, when ripe, of a dull brown color, those from the West 

 Indies from two to five inches long, those from the East 

 Indies twice this length. In the West Indies the pods are 

 gathered in June, July, and August, when fully ripe, and 

 being placed in a cask, boiling syrup is poured on them 

 until the vessel is full, when it is headed up and ready for 

 sale. The East India Tamarinds are darker and drier, and 

 said to be preserved without sugar, but by what process we 

 are not informed. 



GENUS Tigridia. Tiger Flower. Name, from the spots 

 on its petals, which, however, rather resemble those of the 

 Leopard. This splendid flower has a two leaved spathe, no 

 calyx, six petals, the two outer ones large, and the filaments 

 united into a long tube ; leaves ensiform, or shaped like a 

 straight sword, and nerved. This beautiful genus came 

 originally from Mexico. It flowers in our gardens, but re- 

 quires protection from the winter frosts. 



There is only one species, and a single variety of this 

 genus. 



In what country does the tamarind tree grow and how is its fruit pr 

 served ' 



