CASSIA. 



536. C. acutifolia Delile cegypt. t. 27. f. 1. C. Senna 

 S. and C. \. t. 30. good. C. medica Forsk. fl. arab. p. cxi. 

 Arabia felix Forsk. ; Upper Egypt and Nubia, between the Nile 

 and Red Sea, 



The only differences that I perceive between this, which furnishes 

 Alexandrian senna, and the last species, consist in the leaflets being 

 ovate not lanceolate, and the legumes much shorter and rounder. It 

 furnishes the principal part of the senna consumed in this country, and 

 when unadulterated it is one of the best of all purgatives ; but is very 

 much mixed, in some samples it is said to the extent of 20 per cent, 

 with leaves of Tephrosia Apollinea, and Cynanchum Argel, and it is 

 even reported to be mixed with Coriaria myrtifolia. All such adulter- 

 ations are, however, readily detected by any careful observer. The leaves 

 of T. Apollinea are obovate, almost wedge-shaped, of Cynanchuin 

 Argel thick, veinless, longer, downy or smooth, and of Coriaria ribbed. 



537. C. lance olata Forsk. p. 85. Surdud, Mohr, and Abu 

 Arisch in Arabia. (Suna of the Arabs.) 



Leaflets 1 inch long, in 5 pairs,, on short stalks, lanceolate, green ; 

 with a sessile gland above the base of the petiole. Racemes terminal, 

 long, pale yellow. Pods linear, villous, compressed, incurved ; not 

 seen ripe. Such are the words of Forskahl, who asserts positively 

 that this is the true Senna of Mecca. It is obvious that the villous 

 pods and glandular petiole are quite at variance with both C. elongata 

 and acutifolia.* 



538. C. uethiopica Guibourt hist. abr. ed. 3. ii. 219. C. ovata 

 Merat. diet. mat. med. vol. vi. p. 311. Sene de Nubie Nectoux 

 voyage dans la haute Egypte t. 2. Nubia, Fezzan, south of 

 Tripoli. 



I cannot doubt the propriety of distinguishing this kind of Senna, 

 which has not only a gland at the base of the petiole, but another 

 between each pair of leaflets. About 18 inches high; leaflets in 3-5 

 pairs, pubescent, oval-lanceolate, 7-9 lines long, 3-4 broad, and con- 

 sequently smaller, shorter and less acute than in C. acutifolia. Legumes 

 flat, smooth, not reniform, rounded, 11-15 lines long, tawny, containing 

 3-5 seeds. Guibourt. This furnishes exclusively the Senna of Tripoli 

 which according to Guibourt is extremely uniform in its appearance. 



539. C. obovata Coll. mon. 92. DC.prodr. ii. 492. C. Senna 

 Linn. sp. pi. 539. Lam. illustr. t. 332. C. obtusa Wall. herb. 

 No. 5319. and consequently W. and A. i. 288. Senna obtusa 

 Roxb.fl. ind. ii. 344. C. Porturegalis Bancroft according to 

 W. and A. C. Burmanni Wallich in Madras Journal, April 

 1837, p. 354. Wight 1. c. July p. 71. t. 5. High dry unculti- 

 vated lands of Mysore ; Egypt ; desert of Suez, Nubia, Central 



* As this sheet was about to be printed off I was so fortunate as to meet with the 

 C. lanceolata of Forskahl, in a collection of Arabian plants (No. 711, collected by Dr. S. Fischer, 

 in Palm grounds in the valley of Fatme, flowering at the end of February. The leaflets 

 are in 4 or 5 pairs, never more ; oblong and either acute or obtuse, not at all ovate or lan- 

 ceolate, and perfectly free from downiness even when young ; the petioles have constantly 

 a small round brown gland a little above the base. The pods are erect, oblong, tapering to 

 the base, obtuse, turgid, mucronate, rather falcate, especially when young, at which time 

 they are sparingly covered with coarse scattered hairs. The species is therefore quite dis- 

 tinct from C. elongata, as I at first supposed ; and consequently, excellent as the Tinnivelly 

 Senna is, a sort of still finer quality may be expected from India, as soon as this, the true 

 Senna of Mecca shall have been introduced into the Peninsula. 



259 s 2 



