Batihinia.] xlvii. § clesalpinieje (oliver). 091 



broadly rounded below, rounded or more rarely broadly pointed above 

 often somewhat glassy, glabrous or at first puberulous above, tawny- or 

 rusty-pubescent with prominent nervures and ultimate areolate-reticu- 

 late venation beneath ; petiole pubescent or tomentose, 1-2 in. Flowers 

 rather small, in terminal or leaf-opposed compound tomentose racemes 

 shorter than or slightly exceeding the leaves. Bracts very small, 

 ovate, acute or lanceolate, caducous. Lateral branches of raceme 

 usually 1-6 lines. Buds somewhat pyriform, \ in. or less. Calyx 

 5-fid, lobes ovate or deltoid, distinct 0/ occasionally cohering. Petals 

 subequal, whitish or rose, rotundate or obovate, pilose externally, 

 shortly and abruptly clawed. Stamens 10, all, or nearly all, perfect', 

 unequal, filaments glandular or pilose below, anthers oblong. Ovary 

 stalked. Stigma capitate, sessile or subsessile. Legume varying from 

 broadly oblong, 2J-3 in. broad, to elongate linear-oblong, 1-1 1 in. 

 broad, ^-1 ft. long, often irregularly constricted, apiculate, on a gyno- 

 phore of j-1 in. ; valves, when mature, stoutly coriaceous, tawny- or 

 rusty-tomentose, or at length glabrous, showing the obscure or more or 

 less distinct, anastomosing, obliquely transverse, or toward the centre 

 longitudinal, nervures of the valve. Seeds indefinite, embedded in the 

 corky endocarp.— Fl. Seneg. i. 266, t. 60 ; B. Thonningii, Schum. Guin. 

 PI. 203 ; B. pyrrhocarpa, Hochst. in Ftora, 1844, 99 and Hb. Schimp. 

 Abyss. ; B. abyssinica, Rich. Fl. Abyss, i. 253 ; B. inermis, Hb. Schimp. 

 Abyss. 712 (1839) ; B. tamarindacea, Delile, Voy. a Meroe, 31 ; Locel- 

 laria bauhinioides, VVelw. Apont. Phyto-geogT. No. 52. 



Upper Guinea. Senegambia, Perrottet I Cape Verd, Brunner ! Niger, Barter 1 

 Ashantee, Thonning. Abbeokuta, Irving! 



Nile Land. Abyssinia, Dillon, Schimper! Gallabat, Schweinfurth I Sennaar, 

 Cienkowski. 



Lower Guinea. Congo, Smith! Various provinces of Angola, Dr. Welmtsch! 



Mozamb. Distr. Zambesi and Rovuma, Dr. Kirk! Shire river, Dr. Metier ! 



The bark yields a tough fibre ; it is also astringent and used in medicine. 



The Nile Land plant differs in a proportionately narrower legume, varying from 

 1-1 ^ in. in breadth, and from a few inches to 1 ft. in length ; but from an examination 

 of the suite of specimens in the Kew Herbarium, I can hardly suppose this to indicate 

 specific distinction. 



Specimens, in fruit only, collected near Kouka in North Central Africa by E. Vogel, 

 differing from the usual form of B. reticulata in being glabrous, the twigs and pods 

 more or less glaucous or plumose, probably belong to a marked variety of this species, 

 and may be the B. Benzoin of Kotschy, described from fruiting specimens only 

 (Schweinf. Eel. Kotsch. 12, t. 11.) 



To the same form, whether variety or distinct species, is referred the plant noticed 

 by Dr. Schweinfurth (FL .ZEthiop. 3), as collected by Kotschy at Milbes, and distri- 

 buted as " B. tamarindacea, Del.?" corresponding with a Senegambian plant bearing 

 the MS. name B. platysiliqua, Guillemin. I have not seen either of these. 



11. B. garipensis, E. Mey. Comm. 162. A shrub of 5-8 ft., with long 

 slender, rod-like, ashen-white or farinose terete branches. Leaves 

 thinly coriaceous, glaucous, usually from f-lg in. broad, J-f in. long; 

 sinus at base and apex broad and shallow, 5-nerved with obscure vena- 

 tion ; petiole slender, 3-4 lines. Flowers usually solitary or geminate 

 from obsolete axillary peduncles ; pedicels \ in. or less. Calyx deeply 



