SAPINDACE.E. IX. PROSTEA. X. LEPISANTHES. XI. SAPINIWS. 



660 



ovary. Ovary deeply 4-lobed ; lobes roundish, 3-celled ; cells 

 1-ovulate. Fruit indehiscent, 1-lobed from abortion, fleshy. 

 1 -celled. A tree with impari-pinnate, exstipulate leaves. 

 Flowers fasciculate, in compound racemes. Petals pilose. 



1 P. PINNA'TA (Cabess. 1. c.) Tj . S. Native of Guinea. 

 Ornitrophe pinnata, Poir. 8. p. 266. Schmidelia pinnkta, D. C. 

 prod. 1. p. 611. Leaves with 6-7 pairs of smoothish, oblong- 

 acuminated leaflets. Petioles and branchlets pubescent. 



Pinnate-leaved Prostea. Tree. 



Cult. Loam and peat will suit this tree, and ripe cuttings 

 will root in sand under a hand-glass, in heat. 



X. LEPISA'NTHES (from XtTrte, lepis, a scale, and avSoe, 

 anthos, a flower ; in allusion to the scales on the petals). Blum. 

 bijdr. 137 and 238. Cambess. in mem. mus. 18. p. 25. 



LIN. SYST. Octdndria, Monogynia. Calyx of 4 sepals, some- 

 what unequal, imbricate. Petals 4-5, a little longer than the 

 calyx, each furnished with a scale on the inside. Disk emargi- 

 nate, girding the genitals. Stamens 8, very short, approximating 

 the pistil. Ovary trigonal, 3-celled ; cells 1-ovulate. Style 

 almost wanting. Stigma obtuse. Drupe ? tetragonal, contain- 

 ing a 3-celled, 3-seeded nucleus. A tree with abruptly-pinnate 

 leaves ; leaflets nearly opposite. Racemes simple, axillary, and 

 lateral. 



1 L. MONTA'NA (Blum. 1. c.) Tj . S. Native of Java. 



Mountain Lepisanthes. Tree. 



Cult. A mixture of loam and sand will suit this tree, and 

 ripened cuttings will root in sand under a hand-glass, in heat. 



XI. SAPI'NDUS (a syncope of Sapo-Indicus, Indian-soap. 

 The aril which surrounds the seeds of S. saponaria is used as 

 soap in South America). Lin. gen. no. 499. D. C. prod. 1. 

 p. 607. 



LIN. SVST. Oclo-Dec&ndria, Monogynia. Calyx 5-parted. 

 Petals 5, naked on the inside, or furnished with a scale above 

 the claw. Disk occupying the bottom of the calyx, regular, en- 

 tire or crenulated. Stamens 8-10, inserted between the margin 

 of the disk and ovary. Style crowned by a 3 rarely 2-lobed 

 stigma. Fruit fleshy, 1 -2-lobed from abortion, rarely 3-lobed ; 

 lobes roundish, indehiscent, 1-2-seeded from abortion, rarely 3- 

 seeded. Seeds without aril. Embryo curved or straight. 

 Trees with exstipulate, impari or abruptly-pinnate leaves, or 

 from abortion having only one leaflet ; leaflets opposite or alter- 

 nate. Racemes disposed in terminal panicles. Berries all red and 

 saponaceous, and may be used in the same manner as those of 

 S. saponaria. Flowers small, white, or greenish-white. 



* Rachis rvinged. 



1 S. SAPONA V RIA (Lin. spec. 526. exclusive of the synonyme 

 of Pluk.) rachis of leaves decurrent, broadly winged ; leaflets 

 quite entire, lanceolate, 3-4 pairs, with an odd one, which is ter- 

 minated by a long point ; panicles terminal ; fruit round. J? . S. 

 Native of the Caribbee Islands and various parts of South Ame- 

 rica. Ruiz etPav.fl.per. 4.t. 341. Comm.hort.l. t. 94. Flowers 

 small and white. These are succeeded by oval or round berries 

 as large as cherries, sometimes single, at others 3 or 4 are joined 

 together ; these have a saponaceous skin, which incloses a very 

 smooth, roundish nut, of a shining-black when ripe. These 

 nuts were formerly brought to England for buttons to waistcoats, 

 some were tipped with gold, and others with different metals ; 

 they were very durable, as they did not wear, and seldom broke. 

 The skin and pulp which surround the nuts are used in America 

 to wash linen, but it is very apt to burn and destroy it if often 

 used, being of a very acrid nature. The seed vessels, according 

 to P. Browne, are very detersive and acrid ; they lather freely 

 in water, and will cleanse more linen than sixty times their 

 VOL. i. PART. vn. 



weight of soap ; but they are observed to corrode or burn the 

 linen in time, and the water in which the tops or leaves have 

 been steeped or boiled has the same quality in some degree. 

 The seeds are round and hard, have a fine polish, and are fre- 

 quently made into buttons and beads among the Spaniards. The 

 whole plant, especially the seed-vessels, being pounded and 

 steeped in ponds, rivulets, or creeks, are observed to intoxicate 

 and kill fish. 



Common Soap-Berry. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1697. Tree 20 ft. 



2 S. MARGINA'TUS (Willd. enum. 432.) rachis of leaves with a 

 narrow margin at the top ; leaflets 6 pairs, lanceolate. 1? . G. 

 Native of Georgia and Carolina on the sea-coast. S. saponaria, 

 Michx. fl. amer. bor. 1. p. 242. Fruit possessing the same 

 qualities as those of the preceding species. Flowers small, 

 white. 



Marginate-pet\o\ed Soap-Berry. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1697. 

 Tree 12 feet. 



3 S. FORSY'THH (D. C. prod. 1. p. 607.) rachis of leaves with 

 a narrow wing ; leaflets quite entire, coriaceous, on very short 

 petioles, elliptical, tapering to both ends, 3-5 pairs. fj . S. 

 Native of the Island of Granada on the sea-beach. The leaves 

 when bruised have a smell like that of garlic. Fruit globose, pos- 

 sessing the same quality as that of the first species. Flowers 

 small, white, numerous, disposed in dense terminal panicles. 



Forsytes Soap-Berry. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. ? Shrub 8 feet. 



4 S. STENO'PTERUS (D. C. prod. 1. p. 607.) rachis of leaves 

 with a very narrow wing ; leaflets 4 or 5 pairs, quite entire, 

 coriaceous, ovate-oblong, and very much acuminated. Fj . S. 

 Native of St. Domingo. Panicle terminal, loose. Flowers 

 small, white. Very like S. rigidus, but differs in the petiole being 

 winged and smooth. 



Narron>-winged-pet\d\e& Soap-Berry. Shrub 10 feet. 



5 S. MICROCA'RPA (Ruiz et Pav. fl. per. 4. t. 341.) leaves 

 abruptly-pinnate, with 3-4 pairs of leaflets on a winged petiole ; 

 panicles terminal ; fruit small, round. Tj . S. Native of Peru. 



Small-fruited Soap-Berry. Shrub. 



* * Rachis or common petiole not rvinged, 



6 S. RI'OIDUS (Ait. hort. kew, 2. p. 36.) rachis pubescent ; 

 leaflets 3 pairs, ovate-oblong, smooth. \} . S. Native of South 

 America and the West Indies. Gsert. fruct. 1. 1. 70. f. 3 Pluk. 

 aim. t. 217. f. 7. Flowers small, white, disposed in super- 

 decompound, terminal racemes, a foot long. Berry with a thin 

 pulp, becoming towards the middle a white, tomentose, spongy 

 substance, embracing a trigonal-globular, bony nut. 



Stiff-leaved Soap-Berry. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1759. Tree 

 20 feet. 



7 S. ARBORE'SCENS (Aubl. guian. 1. p. 357. t. 139.) leaflets 3 

 pairs, ovate, each with a short acumen, smooth ; racemes axillary, 

 nearly simple. Jj . S. Native of Guiana in woods. Flowers 

 unknown. Fruit small, red. 



Arborescent Soap-Berry. Clt. 1824. Shrub 7 feet. 



8 S. FRUTE'SCENS (Aubl. guian. 1. p. 355. t. 138.) leaflets 

 oblong-lanceolate, acuminated, smooth, 7 pairs ; racemes axil- 

 lary, almost simple. Jj . S. Native of Guiana in woods and 

 cultivated fields. Flowers unknown. Fruit twin, globose, scarlet, 

 about the size of a cherry. Stem straight. 



Frutescent Soap-Berry. Clt. 1824. Shrub 8 feet. 



9 S. DIVARICA'TUS (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 390.) rachis wing- 

 less ; leaves with 3-5 pairs of lanceolate-falcate, acute, smoothish, 

 unequal-sided leaflets : racemes short, branched ; calyx pubes- 

 cent ; petals naked. ^ . S. Native of Brazil in the province 

 of Minas Geraes. Racemes forming a panicle. Stamens 8-10. 



Divaricate-pamcled Soap-Berry. Tree 20 feet. 



10 S. SURINAME'NSIS (Poir. diet. 6. p. 600.) leaflets 6-8 

 pairs, elliptical-lanceolate, very smooth, membranaceous ; pani- 



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