82 The Flowering Plants of Western India. 



acute bracts, which are attached by the middle ; joints of pod 

 round, prickly, very loose. Barki, ndlabarki. 



Common, growing in grass. There is some resemblance but 

 plenty of difference between this and Geissapsis. H. has two 

 varieties. 



15. SMITHIA. 



Note. Out of 12 Indian species of this interesting and ornamental 

 genus, 9 are found in this Presidency, and all those apparently 

 within a very limited range, viz. S. Konkan and S. Ghauts, and one 

 or two species about Belganm ; and all that I have seen appear in 

 the rains. The flowers of 7 out of the 9 species are bright yellow, 

 and almost all have, according to my observation, one or two red 

 spots at the base of the petals. This characteristic is, however, 

 partly denied, and partly looked on as trivial at Kew, so I should 

 be glad to be confirmed on this point, and also to hear of the last 

 species mentioned under this genus. 



1. 8. sensitiva. A ^lender branched herb, leaflets about 4 

 pairs, sensitive, bristly on the edges and midrib, flowers in 

 short racemes without the red spot ; joints of the pod several, 

 warty. Kaola. 



H. has a separate species, * 8. gemmiflora, which differs from 

 the above in having the flowers in pairs in the axils. D. 

 considered this the commonest variety. 



2. 8. Uanda (8. racemosa, D,). Erect, covered with 

 spreading yellow hairs, leaflets 3 to 7 pairs, obtuse bristle- 

 tipped, flowers in dense terminal panicles, corolla with 2 red 

 spots ; pod 4 to 6-jointed. Moti barki. 



These are the two commonest species in the S. Konkan, and are 

 frequently found together. The latter at Mahableshwar. Dr. 

 Cooke. 



3. 8. pycnantJia. Erect, bristly, leaflets 3 or 4 pairs, linear 

 or oblong, flowers with red spot in short rather dense racemes, 

 pedicels and calyx glandular and hairy, pods about 4-jointed. 



This also is very common about Dapoli in the rains, growing all 

 along the roadsides with the two last species. 



" Yellow and bright, as bullion unalloyed, 



Their blossoms*" Cowper. 



I have no doubt that this is D.'s 8. hirsuta, though H. has not so 

 identified it. 



4. S. setulosa. A stout hairy plant, 3 or 4 feet high, leaflets 

 about 5 pair, oblong obtuse, smooth except the edges, flowers 

 in terminal panicles large, with red spots, calyx segments 

 very unequal, pod about 10-jointed. 



This is one of the handsomest plants of the rains, but I believe 



