OXALIDE^E. I. AVERRHOA. II. BIOPHYTUM. III. OXALIS. 



753 



juice of this is not so pleasant as that of A. Bilimba, that the 

 fruit is rather larger, and is used for the same purposes, and 

 that it is a very beautiful tree. In Bengal the tree is called 

 Camruc and Camrunga ; in Malabar, Tamara-tonga ; the Bra- 

 mins and Portuguese call it Carambolas. 



Carambola Averrhoa. Clt. 1793. Tree 14 to 20 feet. 



FIG. 121. 



2 A. BILI'MBI (Lin. spec. 613.) 

 calyxes pubescent ; limb of petals 

 oval-oblong ; stamens 1 ; fruit 

 obtuse-angled ; seeds without aril. 

 Jj . S. Native of Goa and many 

 other parts of the East Indies, 

 both within and without the Gan- 

 ges, and is now cultivated in many 

 parts of South America. Cav. 

 diss. 7. t. 219. Rumph. atnb. 1. 

 p. 115. t. 85. Rheed. mal. 3. p. 

 51. t. 45 and 46. This is a small 

 tree, with a few reclining branches. 

 The leaves have from 5-10-pairs 

 of ovate-lanceolate, entire, smooth 

 leaflets on short stalks. The 

 flowers are reddish-purple, dis- 

 posed in racemes, rising from 

 the trunk. The fruit is oblong, somewhat resembling a small 

 cucumber, with a thin, smooth, green rind, filled with a grate- 

 ful acid juice, and the substance and seeds not unlike that of 

 a cucumber. A syrup is made of the juice and a conserve of 

 the flowers, which are esteemed excellent in fevers and bilious 

 disorders. The tree is called Eilimbi in Malabar. 



Bilimbi or Cucumber-tree. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1791. Tree 

 8 to 15 feet. 



Cult. These are very pretty trees, and will thrive well in a 

 light sandy loam. Ripe cuttings will strike root freely in sand 

 under a hand-glass, in heat. 



II. BIO'PHYTUM (from /3ioc, bios, life, and <J>VTOV, pkyton, 

 a plant ; the leaves of B. sensitivum are sensitive to the touch). 

 D. C. prod. l.p. 689. 



LIN. SYST. Decdndria, Pentagynia. Calyx of 5 sepals. Sta- 

 mens 10, free, the 5 outer ones are smaller than the inner 5, 

 alternating with each other. Stigmas 5, emarginately-bifid and ca- 

 pitate. Capsules ovate, globose, somewhat pentagonal. Annual 

 or suffruticose herbs, with a naked stem, bearing at the apex, a 

 fascicled whorl of abruptly-pinnate leaves ; leaflets many, oppo- 

 site. Peduncles many-flowered, umbellate. St. Hilaire does 

 not consider this genus distinct from the following ; indeed there 

 is no character yet discovered that would separate them, but 

 the peculiar habit of the plants is sufficient. 



1 B. SENSITIVUM (D. C. prod. 1. p. 690.) almost stemless ; 

 peduncles thick, bearing many flowers at the apex, about equal 

 in length to the leaves ; leaflets 14 pairs, oblong, obtuse, mucro- 

 nate. . S. Native of the East Indies and China, in gardens 

 and meadows. O'xalis sensitiva, Lin. spec. 622. Jacq. oxal. no. 

 21. t. 78. f. 4. Garc. in phil. trans. 1730. p. 379. t. 2. 

 Rumph. amb. 5. p. 301. t. 104. f. 2. Rheed. mal. 9. p. 33. t. 

 1 9. The leaves of this plant contract on the slightest touch, like 

 those of Mimosa pudica. It is a beautiful plant, with umbels of 

 small yellow flowers. Stigmas emarginately bifid. 



Sensitive Biophytum. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1824. PI. to 

 i foot. 



2 B. DENDROIDES (D. C. prod. 1. p. 690.) stem woody, sim- 

 ple, leafy at the apex ; petioles of leaves with a fascicle of long 

 hairs between each pair of leaflets ; leaflets of 1 2 pairs, oblong, 

 unequal-sided, acute, ciliated, outer ones largest; peduncles 1- 

 flowered. Tj . S. Native of New Granada between Guaduas 



VOL. i. PART. VHI. 



and Quebrada de la Carbonera. O'xalis dendroides, H. B. et 

 Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 250. Flowers violaceous. Cells 

 of ovary containing only one seed. 



Tree-like Biophytum. Shrub -J to 1 foot. 



3 B. MIMOSOIDES (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 107. t. 21. under 

 O'xalis,) stem shrubby, hardly branched at the apex ; leaves 

 corymbose, abruptly-pinnate ; leaflets linear, obliquely- truncate 

 both at the apex and the base, puberulous, veinless above ; pe- 

 duncles shorter than the leaves, villous, very much thickened at 

 the apex, bracteate, 3-4-flowered ; pistils much longer than the 

 stamens; cells of ovary 4-seeded. Ij . S. Native of Brazil in 

 the province of Rio Janeiro. Flowers white, resembling those 

 of Stellaria Holostea. Filaments rather monadelphous at the 

 base. Stigmas laciniately-jagged, capitate. 



Mimosa-like Biophytum. Fl. Nov. Shrub -| foot. 



4 B. CA'STA ; stem shrubby, umbellately branched ; leaves 

 abruptly-pinnate, of many pairs of leaflets, smoothish ; leaflets 

 adnate, somewhat rhomboid ; fascicles of flowers subsessile, 

 bracteate ; stamens exceeding the styles in length. Tj . S. Na- 

 tive of Brazil. O'xalis casta, Zucc. in act. acad. monach. 9. t. 6. 



Chaite Biophytum. Shrub ^ foot. 



5 B. DO'RMIENS ; stem suffruticose, simple ; leaves abruptly- 

 pinnate, with many pairs of pubescent, nearly sessile leaflets, 

 which are angular at the base, oblong, obtuse ; pedicels aggre- 

 gate, 1 -flowered, rising from the bracteas. \) . S. Native of 

 Brazil. O'xalis dormiens, Zucc. in act. acad. monach. 9. t. 5. 



Dormant Biophytum. Shrub \ foot. 



6 B. SO'MNIANS ; stem shrubby, simple; leaves abruptly-pin- 

 nate, with about 6 pairs of leaflets, outer ones largest, obovate- 

 oblong, obtuse, lower ones rather cordate, acute ; heads of 

 flowers on long peduncles, bracteate ; styles exceeding the sta- 

 mens in length. Tj . S. Native of Brazil. O'xalis somnians, 

 Mart. mss. Zucc. in act. acad. monach. 9. t. 4. 



Sleeping Biophytum. Shrub -J foot. 



Cult. These singular and beautiful little plants will thrive 

 best in a mixture of loam and peat. The seeds of the first 

 species should be sown in spring on a hot-bed, and after the 

 plants are of sufficient size, they should be separated and planted 

 singly in pots shaded until the plants have taken fresh root, they 

 may then be removed to the stove. The rest of the species, 

 being suffruticose plants, may be either increased by cuttings or 

 seeds. 



III. O'XALIS (from ovg, oxys, acid ; the leaves have an 

 acid taste). Lin. gen. no. 582. D. C. prod. 1. p. 690. O'xys, 

 Tourn. inst. t. 19. 



LIN. SYST. Decandria, Pentagynia. Sepals 5, (f. 122. a.) 

 free, or joined together at the base. Petals 5. (f. 122. 6.) 

 Stamens 10, (f. 122. c. c.) with the filaments connected together 

 a little way at the base, 5 of which are exterior, and are shorter 

 than the other 5. Styles 5, usually crowned by pencil-like, 

 (f. 1 22. d.) rarely capitate, or bifid stigmas. Capsules penta- 

 gonal, oblong, or cylindrical. Permanent, caulescent, stipitate, 

 or stemless herbs. Leaves various, but never abruptly-pinnate, 

 full of an acid juice. Flowers of various hues. 



1. Hedysaroidece (plants with the habit of Hedysarum). 

 D. C. prod. 1. p. 690. Peduncles bifid, or bifidly-umbelliferous, 

 with one flower in the fork, bearing the other flowers on the inside 

 of the divisions, with usually petinaled bracteas; flowers secund, 

 intermixed with the bracteas. Slems leafy, usually suffruticose. 

 Leaves trifoliate ; leaflets ovate, lanceolate, or rhomboid, rarely 

 obcordate, with the middle one on a long stalk. Cells of ovary 1- 

 5-seeded. Species natives of South America. 



1 O. PENTA'NTHA (Jacq. ox. no. 1. 1. 1.) stem erect, branched, 

 leafy ; peduncles umbelliferous, about the length of the leaves ; 

 5D 



