LEGUMINOS.E. CIX. LONCHOCARPUS. CX. ROBIKIA. 



237 



than the leaves, and are, as well as the pedicels and calyxes, pu- 

 bescent ; corolla glabrous. T? . S. Native of Porto-Rico. 

 Amerimnum latifolium, Willd. spec. 4. p. 611. exclusive of the 

 synonyme, and therefore the same as I'terocarpus latifolius of 

 Poir. diet. 4. p. 611. Calyx 5-toothed. Flowers of a purplish- 

 violet colour. Stamens monadelphous. Ovary pubescent, linear, 

 tapering to both ends. 



Broad-leaved Lonchocarpus. Clt. 1808. Tree 12 to 20 ft. 



13 L. PUBE'SCENS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 260.) leaflets 11-13, 

 ovate-lanceolate, acuminated, glabrous, pubescent beneath ; 

 racemes axillary, filiform, length of leaves. Tj . S. Native of 

 Caraccas. Amerimnum pubescens, Willd. spec. 3. p. 909. 

 Pterocarpus pubescens, Poir. diet. 5. p. 740. The legume is 

 said to be 2-valved and many-seeded, and the stamens monadel- 

 phous. Flowers small, violet. 



Pubescent Lonchocarpus. Clt. 1 824. Tree 20 to 30 feet. 



14 L. ROSEUS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 260.) leaflets 13-15, lanceo- 

 late, acuminated, glabrous, shining above, but rather pale be- 

 neath ; racemes erect; pedicels 1-flovvered; calyx truncate; 

 young legumes clothed with rufous-velvety down. Tj . S. Native 

 of South America. Pseudo-acacia latifolia, Plum. spec. 19. 

 Robinia rosea, Mill. diet. no. 4. but not of Ell. Robinia lati- 

 folia, Poir. diet. 6. p. 224. but not of Mill. Flowers large, 

 showy, rose-coloured, ex Plum. Legume oblong, acute, 1-4- 

 seeded, tapering to the base. 



.Koie-coloured-flowered Lonchocarpus. Clt. 1 700. Tree 20 

 to 30 feet. 



15 L. ? PTEROCA'RPUS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 260.) leaflets 5, oval- 

 oblong, acuminated, quite smooth, shining above, but glaucescent 

 beneath ; racemes axillary, length of leaves ; legume oblong, 

 acuminated at both ends, winged on the upper suture. Pj . S. 

 Native of French Guiana. Flowers unknown. Legume 2 or 3 

 inches long, and 1-2-seeded from abortion. 



Wing-fruited Lonchocarpus. Tree 20 to 30 feet. 



16 L. SE'PIUM (D. C. prod. 2. p. 260.) leaflets 11-15, ovate, 

 bluntly acuminated, membranous, rather puberulous above, but 

 glabrous and pale beneath ; racemes shorter than the leaves ; 

 pedicels 1 -flowered : calyx truncate ; legumes glabrous, oblong- 

 obtuse, compressed, callous at the sutures. Tj . S. Native of 

 St. Martha, and at Carthagena, where it is used for hedges to 

 gardens. Robinia sepium, Jacq. amer. 211. t. 129. f. 101. 

 Flowers rose-coloured. Stamens diadelphous. Legume about 

 4 inches long, 4-seeded. 



Hedge Lonchocarpus. Clt. 1821. Tree 30 feet. 



17 L. MACULA'TUS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 260.) leaflets 17, oblong, 

 obtuse, beset with adpressed pili above, but glaucescent and 

 spotted with black beneath ; calyx campanulately urceolate, nearly 

 entire, puberulous ; legume linear, compressed, with thickened 

 margins. Ij . S. Native about Campeachy. Robinia macu- 

 lata, H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 394. This plant, 

 along with the preceding species, may form a distinct genus, 

 which may be called Glyciridia. 



Spotted-leaved Lonchocarpus. Tree 30 feet. 



18 L. SWA'RTZII (D. C. prod. 2. p. 261.) leaflets 5-7, oval, 

 bluntly acuminated, glabrous, pale beneath ; racemes shorter 

 than the leaves ; pedicels 2 -flowered ; calyx truncate ; legumes 

 glabrous, elliptic-oblong, compressed, few-seeded, rather callous 

 at the sutures. Tj . S. Native of St. Domingo. Robinia se- 

 pium, Swartz, prod. 106. Flowers rose-coloured. This species 

 differs from L. sepium in the flowers being smaller and monadel- 

 phous, not diadelphous. 



Swarlz's Lonchocarpus. Tree 20 feet. 



19 L. Nico'u (D. C. prod. 2. p. 261.) leaflets 7, ovate, acu- 

 minated, glabrous ; branches sarmentose, rather climbing ; ra- 

 cemes spike-formed ; pedicels 1-flowered ; calyx 5-toothed ; 

 legume elongated, glabrous, 4-seeded, rather callous at the 



sutures. Jj . w . S. Native of French Guiana, in bushy places. 

 Robinia Nicou, Aubl. guian. 2. p. 771. t. 308. R. scandens, 

 Willd. spec. 3. p. 1134. Flowers purple, diadelphous. There 

 is a plant native of Cayenne which differs from the plant of Aublet 

 in the leaflets being silky-pubescent beneath, and in the spikes 

 being longer than the leaves. The twigs are cut and thrown 

 into ponds and rivers for the purpose of intoxicating fish, in 

 order to take them, as those of Tephrosia toxicaria, see p. 229. 

 Nicou is the Caribbee name of the tree. 

 Nicou Lonchocarpus. Shrub cl. 



20 L. OXYCA'RPUS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 261.) leaflets 7, oval, 

 abruptly, acutely, and mucronately acuminated, glabrous, palish 

 beneath ; racemes shorter than the leaves ; pedicels 2-3-flow- 

 ered ; calyx usually 5-toothed ; legume oblong, acuminated at 

 both ends, compressed, few-seeded, not tumid at the sutures. 



J; . S. Native of Guadalottpe. Flowers purple, monadelphous. 

 Sharp-fruited Lonchocarpus. Tree 12 to 20 feet. 



21 L. ? AMERI'MNUM (D. C. prod. 2. p. 261.) leaflets 7, 

 ovate, acuminated on long petioles, glabrous ; racemes simple, 

 loose, shorter than the leaves ; calyx 5-toothed. Tj . S. Native 

 about Carthagena, in woods. Amerimnum pinnatum, Jacq. amer. 

 200. t. 177. f. 50. Flowers yellow, monadelphous. 



j4merimnum-\]ke Lonchocarpus. Tree 14 feet. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Eysenhdrdtia, p. 234. 



CX. ROBFNIA (in honour of Jean Robin, a French bota- 

 nist, once herbalist to Henry IV. of France, author of Histoire 

 des Plantes, 12mo. Paris, 1620. printed also with the second 

 edition of Lonicier's History of Plants. His son Vespasian was 

 subclemonstrator at the Jardin du Roi, and was the first person 

 who cultivated the Pseudacacia in Europe). D. C. mem. leg. vi. 

 prod. 2. p. 261. Pseudacacia, Tourn. inst. t. 417. Mcench. 

 meth. 145. Robinia species of Lin. and others. 



LIN. SYST. Diadtlphia, Decdndria. Teeth of calyx 5, lanceo- 

 late, 2 upper ones shorter and approximate. Corolla papiliona- 

 ceous. Vexillum large. Keel obtuse. Stamens diadelphous, 

 deciduous. Ovary 16-20-ovulate. Style bearded in front. 

 Legume compressed, almost sessile, many-seeded, with the valves 

 thin and flat, margined at the seminiferous suture.- North 

 American trees, usually furnished with stipular spines. Leaves 

 impari-pinnate ; leaflets petiolulate, and furnished with stipels at 

 the base. Flowers white or rose-coloured, disposed in axillary, 

 usually nodding racemes. 



1 R. PSEUDACA V CIA (Lin. spec. 1043.) spines stipular ; branches 

 twiggy ; racemes loose, pendulous, and are, as well as the 

 legumes smooth ; leaflets ovate. T? . H. Native of North 

 America, from Canada to Carolina. Lam. ill. t. 666. f. 1. 

 Duham. arbr. ed. nov. 2. t. 16. .flLschynomene pseudacacia, 

 Roxb. Pseudacacia odorata, Mcench. 1. c. Flowers white, 

 sweet-scented. Roots creeping, the fibres sometimes bearing 

 tubercles. The Common, False, or Bastard Acacia, called Lo- 

 cust-tree in America, grows very fast whilst young, so that in a 

 few years from seed the plants rise to 8 or 10 feet high, and it 

 is not uncommon to see shoots of this tree 6 or 8 feet long in 

 one summer. The branches are armed with stipular hooked 

 prickles. The leaves have 8 or 10 pairs of bright green leaflets. 

 The flowers come out from the sides of the branches in pretty 

 long bunches, hanging down like those of Laburnum, white, and 

 smelling very sweet ; they appear in June, and when the trees 

 are full of flowers they make a very fine appearance, and per- 

 fume the air round them, but they seldom continue more than 

 one week. The wood is valued in North America for its dura- 

 bility. Most of the houses which were built at Boston in New 

 England on the first settling of the English, were constructed 

 of this timber. The tree being very liable to be broken by high 

 winds, and the leaves not appearing till late in the summer, and 



