Securidaea POLYGALACE^J 24-7 



throughout, without any projection. — Jacq. Sel. Stirp. Amer. 197, 

 /. 183, f. 39 & Ed. pict t.'2&l, f. 56; L. Sp. PL eel 2, 992. 

 S. volubilis L. Syst. ed. 10, 1155 (1759) (non Sp. PL 707). 

 S. virgata Sw. Prodr. 104 (1788) & Fl. Ind. Occ. 1231 ; Griseh. Fl. 

 Br. W. Ind. 30 ; Urb. Symh. Ant. iv. 337 (non Macf.). S. scandens 

 Tubs. Fl. Ant. iv. 57, t. 20 (1827) (non L.). S. foliis orbiculatis &c. 

 Plum. PI. Amer. (Burm.) 245, t. 248, /. 1. S. fruticosa foliis 

 subi'otundis &c. Browne Hist. Jam. 287. A specimen from 

 Swartz from Hispaniola in Herb. Mus. Brit. (Fig. 84, B-G.) 



St. James, Browne ; mountains, St. James, Tussac ; Macfadyen ! — 

 Cuba, Hispaniola, Porfco Rico. 



Shrub with numerous slender flexible branches, supporting themselves 

 on neighbouring shrubs and low trees and often reaching to their summits. 

 Leaves elliptical or round, sometimes ovate-roundish, generally more or 

 less emarginate, 2-1*5 cm. 1. on the lower branches, becoming smaller to 

 •5 cm. 1. on the flowering branches. Racemes numerous at ends of 

 branches, to 1"5 dm. 1. FJowers smelling of violets. Sepals ovate to 

 roundish-ovate, 2-3 mm. 1., puberulous on the outside and margin, some- 

 what veiny. Wings unequal-sided, roundish or somewhat triangular, 

 8 mm. 1. and br., minutely ciliate; claw about 1-3 mm. 1. Petals obovate 

 above, oblong below, much curved and concave, about 5 mm. 1. ; upper 

 portion 2 • 5 mm. br. ; base with a sinus, so that there appears to be 2 claws ; 

 lateral lanceolate, about '6 mm. 1. Keel : blade about 6 mm. 1. (as folded 

 together), 4 mm. br., edge of the fold curved outwards elliptically, free 

 margin slightly concave, truncate at the base ; middle portion of the apex 

 forming a large, expanded, irregularly toothed crest, about 2 mm. 1. ; claw 

 2 mm. 1. Staminal sheath about 6 mm. 1. ; free filaments 3-4 mm. 1. ; 

 with a small abortive stamen at the back. Ovary compressed-ellipsoidal, 

 about 1 mm. 1., very shortly stalked, margined on one side; appendage on 

 the other side triangular-conical, free part above ovary generally "8 mm. 1. 

 Fruit: seed-case 7-9 mm. 1., 4-5-6 mm. br., reticulate with prominent 

 lines; wing narrowly elliptical, or with an elliptic curve on anterior side 

 and somewhat straight on posterior side, 2-5-3 cm. 1., 10-12 mm. br. 

 above, gradually narrowing to 4-6 mm. br. at base, extending down ^-^ 

 "the posterior side of seed-case ; seed-case and base of wing minutely 

 puberulous, rest of wing glabrescent. 



Jacquin founded his species on Browne's description on p. 287 of the 

 "Natural History of Jamaica." The specimen of S. volubilis L. Sp. 

 PI. 707 in the Linnean herbarium is Nissolia fruticosa Jacq., and the 

 citation from Plumier, Sparteum .... citri foliis, floribus albis &c., 

 confirms our view that Linnaeus was not dealing with any species of the 

 genus Securidaea as understood by Jacquin and other botanists. The 

 S. volubilis of the Systema ed. 10, refers to Browne's description, but in 

 the second edition of " Species Plantarum " (992) the name is given up, 

 and Jacquin's name substituted. 



3. S. Lamarekii Griseb. Fl. Br. W. Ind. 30 (1859); inflor- 

 escence paniculate, often very long with distant branches, lax- 

 flowered ; anterior margin of seed-case narrow below, broad 

 above, apex 2-toothed, about 4 mm. above seed-case. — S. scandens 

 Lam. Encyc. vii. 51 (1806) (excl. syn.) (non. L.) & Illustr. t. 599, 



./■• 1- 



Macfadyeyi (fide Grisebach). — St. Cruz (introduced), Martinique, St. 

 Vincent. 



