92 



LEGUMINOS^E. 



of plants bearing legumes or pods like the pea). Juss. gen. 345. 

 Gaert. fruct. 2. p. 301. D. C. fl. franc, ed. 3. vol. 4. prop, 

 med. ed. 2. p. 131. D. C. prod. 2. p. 93. Papilionaceae and 

 Lomentaceae, Lin. ord. ed. gies. p. 415. 



Calyx constantly of 5 sepals (f. 31. a ), which are more or 

 less connected at the base, forming a 5-cleft (f. 31. a.) or 5- 

 toothed (f. 27. a.) calyx, never 5-sepalled, in the strict sense of 

 the word, it is, however, sometimes composed of 1 (f. 52. g.) 

 or 2 sepals from coalition or abortion (f. 43. a.), the teeth or seg- 

 ments of the calyx usually unequal, sometimes connected into 2 

 lips (f. 48. a.) ; the upper lip bidentate (f. 48. a.) ; the lower one 

 trifid (f. 48. a.). Petals usually 5 (f. 27. c. f. 47. c.), generally 

 unequal, inserted in the bottom of the calyx, rarely in the torus, 

 usually variously imbricated in aestivation, rarely valvate, gener- 

 ally free, rarely joined into a gamopetalous corolla (sometimes, 

 however, the petals are wanting, and sometimes the corolla is 

 formed of 1, 2, 3, or 4 petals only). Stamens inserted with the 

 petals, usually double the number of the petals, rarely triple or 

 quadruple that number or fewer, sometimes all free (f. 54. 6. f. 

 56. c. f. 24. c.), sometimes variously connected or monadelphous, 

 with the staminiferous tube entire (f. 29. c.), or cleft in front 

 (f. 27. rf.), or diadelphous, usually with 9 joined and 1 free (f. 

 44. of.), rarely joined in 2 equal bundles, containing 5 stamens 

 each, and more rarely connected into 3 bodies. Anthers 2-celled 

 (f. 23. f.}, sometimes some of them are changed into abortive 

 threads. Ovary oblong (f. 23. d.) or ovate, sessile (f. 25. a 1 .) or 

 stipitate (f. 58. d.}, usually free, rarely with the stipe adnate to 

 the calyx. Style filiform (f. 25. e. f. 31. d.), rising from the top of 

 the upper suture of the ovary, crowned by a terminal (f. 44. e.) or 

 lateral stigma. Legume usually 2-valved (f. 29. d.), membra- 

 nous, coriaceous, rarely fleshy or drupaceous, dehiscent (f. 

 29. d.) or indehiscent (f. 44. g.), 1-celled (f. 52. A.), some- 

 times longitudinally 2-celled from the upper suture being 

 bent in so much, or often transversely many-celled in con- 

 sequence of the seeds being separated by spongy or mem- 

 branous substance (f. 49. e.), often separating into 1-celled 

 joints (f. 41. e.). Seeds usually numerous (f. 29. d.}, rarely 

 solitary (f. 36. e.) or twin (f. 56. e.) from abortion, fixed to the 

 upper suture of the legume (f. 56. e. f. 52. k. f. 29. d.), alter- 

 nately inserted in both valves, usually oval (f. 29. </.) or kidney- 

 shaped (f. 51. e.), hanging by various shaped funicles, rarely ex- 

 panded into aril. Testa or spermaderm smooth, usually very 

 smooth and hard. Endopleura 

 usually tumid, appearing like albu- 

 men. Embryo sometimes straight 

 (f. 21. i. I. m.), sometimes with 

 the radicle curved back upon the 

 edge of the cotyledons, and ly- 

 ing in the commisure formed by 

 them (f. 21. e.f. b.), but in either 

 case the radicle is directed towards 

 the hilum (f. 21. i. m.). Cotyle- 

 dons leafy, flat (f. 21. a. /.), 

 changing through germination, or 

 fleshy (f. 21. c. g.),(the flesh fari- 



FIG. 21. 



naceous or oily), in a few they are exserted from the spermaderm 

 (f. 21. c.), others are inclosed in it, as the common pea, never 

 changing through germination (f. 20.). 



This order is composed of trees, shrubs, or herbs, with 

 very variable habits. The leaves usually alternate and 

 bistipulate, simple, but usually variously compound, gene- 

 rally pinnate or bipinnate, petiolate. Petioles usually bi- 

 callous at the base, sometimes the petiole is dilated into a leafy 

 limb, when this is the case it is called a phyllodium. Flowers of 

 various hues, axillary or terminal, disposed in racemes or pani- 

 cles, rarely solitary. 



Leguminosce is a vast and very natural order, diffused through- 

 out the world, and is supposed by Humboldt to be a twelfth of 

 all the phaenogamous plants or vasculares, and we think he has 

 not underrated it. This is the family to which the various kinds 

 of pulse belong, and is one of the most familiar to the world. 

 Their papilionaceous or pea flowers characterize the greater 

 number, and their legumes or pea pods the remainder, with very 

 few exceptions. As objects of ornament many are possessed 

 of unrivalled beauty ; for example, Roblnia, Laburnum, Wis- 

 tfiria, Luplnus, Astragalus, Erytlirina or Coral-flower, &c. 

 Great, however, as is the beauty of the Leguminosce which can 

 brave the inclemencies of the seasons of northern Europe, it 

 must give way before the splendour and elegance of those of the 

 tropics. The flowers of Amherstia and Erylhrlna are of the 

 deepest crimson, and borne in profusion upon some of the loftiest 

 trees of the forest. But these are surpassed by the elegant fine- 

 leaved Acacias, with their golden flowers, which cast a charm even 

 over the most sterile deserts of Africa. While the forests of hot 

 countries are thus indebted to species of this order for their 

 timber, the meadows and pastures of the same latitudes are 

 enamelled with the flowers of myriads of Indigo/eras, Hedysa- 

 rums, and Desmodiums, and animated by the wonderful motion 

 of the sensitive plants. In our own country, the gayest part 

 of our scenery is in many places indebted to the furze and broom, 

 so in other countries the same effect is produced by other genera 

 of LeguminoscE ; by Liparia and Aspalalkus at the Cape of 

 Good Hope, and by the Pultenceas and Daviesias, and similar 

 genera in New Holland. The wood of the order is very hard 

 and durable, with a yellow tinge, sometimes changing into green, 

 as in the Laburnum of Europe, and in the better known Brazil- 

 wood of commerce, produced by Ctesalplnia Drasiliensis. 



The following remarks upon the properties of the order are 

 made by M. de Candolle : The family of Leguminous plants, 

 though established upon characters of primary importance, offers 

 nevertheless so large a number of species, and such singular 

 botanical anomalies, that it is easy to foresee that its properties 

 will exhibit little uniformity. Still more exceptions may be 

 anticipated, if one reflects that the chemical principle which is 

 found most abundantly in every part of leguminous plants, and to 

 which we must attribute their principal properties, is the extrac- 

 tive. It is probable that this principle, either from its own nature 

 or from its peculiar power of uniting with different matters, or per- 

 haps instead of being a simple principle, it is rather a compound of 

 different matters ; it is probable, I say, that this extractive prin- 



