Berlinia.\ xlvii. § c^ESALriNiEiE (oliver). 293 



slender, elongate or occasionally not longer than the ovary ; stigma ter- 

 minal, capitellate or peltate. Ovules usually 4-8. Legume 2-valved, 

 flat, coriaceous. Seeds . . . — Unarmed trees. Leaves abruptly pin- 

 nate. Stipules various, in one species large, subpersistent, in others 

 small or inconspicuous and caducous. Flowers usually handsome, white 

 or whitish, in terminal, solitary or panicled often corymbose racemes. 

 Bracts deciduous or caducous. Bracteoles geminate, large, obovate or 

 oblanceolate, valvate, enclosing 1 the bud, spreading or deciduous at 

 flowering-. 



Confined to Tropical Africa. See remark under Macrolobium. 



Stamens 10, all perfect. 



Posterior petal conspicuously larger than the rest. 



Involucral bracteoles 1-1 f in. long. Pedicels 4-3 in. ... 1 B. acuminata. 



Involucral bracteoles f in. or less. Pedicels £-£ in 2. B. auriculata. 



Petals equal or but slightly unequal in length. 



Bracts 2-2 £ in. Petals 2-3 in., all distinctly clawed . . . 3. B. bracteosa. 

 Bracts small, £ in. or less. Petals about \ in., shortly clawed or 

 sessile. 

 Calyx-tube 1 line or less. Segments oblanceolate, 2-3 lines. 



Stamens shortly diadelphous 4. B. paniculata. 



Calyx-tube £-£ in. Segments linear or oval, £-£ in. Sta- 

 mens free 5. B. angolensis. 



Perfect stamens 5, with alternate staminodia, free from the base. 



Stipules lanceolate acute, l£-2 in. long 6. B. stipulacea. 



1. B. acuminata, Solander ; Hook. f. et Benth. Fl. Nigrit. 326. A 

 tree attaining 20-40 or 60 ft., extremities terete, glabrous or minutely 

 hoary or rusty-puberulous. Leaflets 3-6-jugate, thinly coriaceous, 

 oval- or elliptic-oblong varying to obovate-elliptical, shortly obtusely 

 acuminate or obtuse or subacute, usually more or less rounded at base, 

 glabrous, midrib and lateral nerves prominent, reticulation subpromi- 

 nent beneath ; 3-9 in. long, 1 to nearly 5 in. broad ; petiolules 1-3 lines. 

 Stipules not apparent. Flowers in terminal simple or usually corym- 

 bosely panicled hoary racemes; bracts concave, caducous, ovate or 

 rotundate, 1-3 lines. Pedicels from f in. to 2-J in., in the larger- 

 flowered forms often compressed or 2-edged. Involucral bracteoles 

 thickly or thinly coriaceous, obovate or obovate-oblong, tawny puberu- 

 lous or tomentose at least externally, from 1— If in. long, dalyx seri- 

 ceous or glabrate, tube \- f in. long, segments linear or linear-lanceolate, 

 as long or half as long again as the tube. Posterior petal ample, \\- 

 3 in. long, often pilose on the claw and median portion behind, lamina 

 ^•-rotundate, entire or bilobate, flabellately veined, margin usually cris- 

 tate, 1-3 in. broad, abruptly or cuneately narrowed into the winged 

 channelled claw, which is rhomboid-dilated or more or less bi-auriculate 

 at base. Lateral and anterior petals shorter than or but slightly ex- 

 ceeding the calyx, linear or linear-lanceolate, variously dilated or auricled 

 below. Stamens all perfect, elongate, posterior one free, rest very 

 shortly connate at base. Ovary shortly stipitate, tomentose or pilose ; 

 style elongate (or short, perhaps a sexual difference), glabrous except 

 below j stigma capitellate. Ovules 6-8. Legume 9 in. to 1 ft. long, 



