LEGUMINOS&. LXXVIII. PSORALEA. 



203 



Capitftte-Qoviercd Psoralea. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1815. Shrub 



2 to a fci-t. 



29 P. ROTUNDIFO'LIA (Lin. fil. suppl. 338. Thunb. 1. c.) leaves 

 simple, ovate, entire, glabrous ; heads of flowers terminal, and 

 arc, as well as the bracteas, villous. (7 . G. Native of the Cape 

 of Good Hope. This species belongs probably to the following 

 division. 



Round-leaved Psoralea. Shrub. 



* * * Peduncles axillary, bearing capitate spikes of Jloners at 

 their tops. 



30 P. CORYLIFO'LIA (Lin. spec. 1075.) leaves simple, ovate, 

 cordate, a little toothed ; heads of flowers axillary, ovate, on 

 long peduncles. . G. Native of the East Indies and Arabia. 

 Curt. bot. mag. 665. Trifolium unifolium, Forsk. descr. 140. 

 Flowers violaceous or pale flesh-coloured. 



Hazel-leaved Psoralea. Fl. Ju. July. Clt. 1739. PI. 2 feet. 



31 P. VIRGA'TA (Nutt. gen. amer. 2. p. 104.) leaves simple, 

 very remote, almost glabrous, linear-lanceolate, radical ones ob- 

 long-ovate ; spikes of flowers ovate-oblong, on peduncles, which 

 are shorter than the leaves ; bracteas long, subulate, deciduous. 

 "H.. H. Native of the west of Florida, between St. Mary's and 

 Satilla river. Stem striated, twiggy, a little pubescent, as well 

 as the leaves. Flowers blue ; the vexillum finely striated. 



Twiggy Psoralea. PI. 2 feet. 



32 P. ACAU'LIS (Stev. in Bieb. fl. taur. 2. p. 206.) radical 

 leaves trifoliate, on long petioles; leaflets ovate, obtuse, sharply 

 toothed, the middle leaflet sessile ; peduncles radical, very long. 

 1.H. Native of Western Iberia. Spike of flowers oval-oblong. 

 Flowers purplish. Petioles pubescent. Leaves hairy, as well as 

 the peduncles. Calyx beset with black hairs. 



Stemless Psoralea. PI. 1 foot. 



33 P. ARENA' RIA (Nutt. gen. amer. 2. p. 103.) leaves trifo- 

 liate, rather pubescent ; leaflets linear-lanceolate, obtuse, niucro- 

 nulate ; peduncles axillary, longer than the leaves ; spikes of 

 flowers capitate ; bracteas deciduous ; teeth of calyx obtuse, 

 nearly equal in length, glandular. y. . F. Native of Nortli 

 America, on the banks of the river Missouri. Psoralea lancco- 

 lata and P. elliptica, Pursh, fl. sept. amer. 2. p. 475 and 741. 

 Root creeping. Stems dichotomous, erect. Flowers purplish- 

 blue. The leaves are aromatic when bruised. 



Sand Psoralea. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1823. PI. 1 foot. 



34 P. SIBI'RICA (Poir. suppl. 4. p. 587.) leaves pinnately-tri- 

 foliate ; leaflets elliptic, obtuse, glabrous, whitish beneath, some- 

 what emarginate and mucronulate at the apex ; racemes very 

 short, axillary, glandless ; segments of the calyx linear, elon- 

 gated, acuminated, and rather villous. %. F. Native of Sibe- 

 ria. Flowers pale-blue. 



Siberian Psoralea. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



35 P. PALJESTI' NA (Gouan. ill. 51.) leaves pinnately-trifoliate ; 

 lower leaflets ovate, superior ones lanceolate ; petioles pubes- 

 cent, sulcated ; peduncles axillary, 2-3-times longer than the 

 leaves ; spikes of flowers capitate ; calyxes pubescent, at length 

 a little inflated. Tf. . F. Native of Palestine, south of Tauria, 

 and about Constantinople, and now in the south of France. 

 Jacq. hort. vind. 2. t. 184. D. C. fl. fr. suppl. p. 554. P. bitu- 

 minosa, Pall. ined. Flowers blue. Very like the following 

 species, but the plant is nearly scentless. 



Palestine Psoralea. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1771. PI. 2 feet. 



36 P. BITUMINOSA (Lin. spec. 1075.) leaves pinnately-trifo- 

 liate ; leaflets ovate-lanceolate ; petioles pubescent ; peduncles 

 axillary, 3-4-times longer than the leaves ; spikes of flowers 

 capitate ; calyxes pubescent. Jj . F. Native of the south of 

 Europe, in exposed places. Lam. ill. 614. f. 1. There is a 

 variety with narrower leaflets. Besl. eyst. aest. t. 1 1 . f. 2. Do- 

 ry'cnium angustifolium, Mcench. Perhaps this last variety is 



sufficiently distinct from P. fnitcscens of Poir. diet. 5. p. 684. 

 There is a plant described in Berg. cap. 221. which differs from 

 this in the spikes of flowers being terminal, flowers with the 

 vexillum and keel purple, and the wings almost white, smelling 

 like black currants. The leaves when handled emit a strong 

 scent of bitumen. 



Bitumen-scented. Psoralea. Fl. April, Sept. Clt. 1570. Shrub 

 2 to 3 feet. 



37 P. SERI'CEA (Poir. diet. 5. p. 687.) leaves pinnately-tri- 

 foliate ; leaflets ovate-lanceolate, silky beneath ; peduncles axil- 

 lary, 2 or 3 times longer than the leaves ; heads of flowers de- 

 pressed, involucrated ; leaflets of the involucnim about equal in 

 length to the calyx. fy . G. Native of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. P. pedunculata, Ker, bot. reg. t. 223. Stipulas narrow, 

 acuminated. Corolla bluish-violet. 



Silky Psoralea. Fl. Aug. Oct. Clt. 1815. Sh. 2 to 3 feet. 



38 P. Muiisu(H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 487. 

 pi. legum. 191. t. 54.) leaves trifoliate ; leaflets lanceolate-oblong, 

 quite entire, glabrous, having the middle nerve, petioles, and 

 branches pilose ; spikes axillary, pedunculate, oblong-cylin- 

 drical, dense-flowered; calyx clothed with adpressed pili. 17 . ? 

 S. Native of South America, near Santa Fe de Bogota, and 

 about Quito. Indigofera Mexicana, Lin. fil. suppl. 335. Flowers 

 white. 



Mutis's Psoralea. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



* * * * Peduncles axillary, bearing the Jloners in loose spikes 

 or racemes at their tops. Poikadenice, Ell. 



39 P. PENTAPHY'LLA (Lin, spec. 1076.) leaves with 5 leaflets, 

 palmately disposed ; leaflets unequal, oval, acute at both ends, 

 pubescent, and glandular, and with the margins ciliated ; stem 

 and petioles villous. T? . ? !.? G. Native of Mexico. B. 

 Juss. act. par. 1744. p. 381. t. 17. The roots are thick, and are 

 supposed to be the contratjerva of the shops. 



Five-leaved Psoralea. Shrub. 



40 P. ESCULE'NTA (Pursh. fl. sept. amer. 2. p. 475. t. 22.) 

 plant hairy ; leaves with 5 leaflets, which are disposed pal- 

 mately ; leaflets ovate-elliptic, glabrous above ; spikes of flowers 

 somewhat capitate, pedunculate, axillary ; bracteas ovate, acu- 

 minated, each enclosing 3 flowers ; corolla hardly longer than 

 the calyx. 3. F. Native of North America, on the elevated 

 plains of the river Missouri. Flowers blue. Root simple, some- 

 what fusiform, bulbous above the middle ; it is rather insipid in 

 taste, but not disagreeable either raw or boiled, the latter is the 

 common mode of preparation among the savages ; its texture is 

 lamellated, always tenacious, solid, and never farinaceous ; it is 

 also somewhat medicinal, and operates as a diuretic. It is known 

 to the Canadian boatmen by the name of Pomme de prairie. 



Esculent-rooted Psoralea. Fl. Ju. Jul. Clt. 1811. PI. 1 ft. 



41 P. CCSPIDA'TA (Pursh. fl. sept. amer. 2. p. 741.) plant 

 villous ; leaves with 5 leaflets, which are disposed in a palmate 

 manner ; leaflets obovate, mucronate ; spikes axillary, dense- 

 flowered ; calycine segments as well as the bracteas ovate, cus- 

 pidate, conspicuously dotted. If . F. Native of Upper Loui- 

 siana, on the high plains of the river Missouri. P. macrorhiza, 

 Fras. cat. 1813. Root large, tuberous, branched. Flowers blue. 



Cuspidate-bractead. Psoralea. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1811. PI. 1 ft. 



42 P. INCA'NA (Nutt. in Fras. cat. 1813. gen. amer. 2. p. 

 102.) plant silky and canescent ; leaves having 3 or 5 leaflets, 

 disposed in a palmate manner ; leaflets elliptic-lanceolate ; spikes 

 few-flowered, interrupted ; bracteas acuminated, 3-flowered. 

 Tf.. F. Native of North America, on the plains of the Missouri. 

 P. argophylla, Pursh. fl. sept. amer. 2. p. 475. Root flagel- 

 lately-fusiform. Flowers small, azure-blue. Like P. esculenta, 

 but differs in being clothed with soft, white, and silky villi, but 

 not tomentum. 



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