LEGUMINOS^E. CXLIX. ADESMIA. CL. ^ESCHYNOMENE, 



283 



3-jointed, very long, clothed with plumose bristles. 

 Native of Chili, about Coquimbo. 



Glutinous Adesmia. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



12. G. 



SECT. IV. FRUTICOS*. Plants shrubby, unarmed. 



17 A. BALSAMIFERA (Hook, in Beech, voy. p. 20.) plants 

 densely beset with resinous glands ; stem much branched ; leaves 

 with usually 10 pairs of cuneate-oblong leaflets, usually ending 

 in an odd one ; legume G-jointed, silky when young. T? . G. 

 Native of Chili, where it is called Jarilla. Mimosa balsamica, 

 Feuill. chil. 1. p. 134. The plant, besides being of great beauty, 

 yields a balsam of a highly agreeable odour, which is percept- 

 able at a great distance, and is found to be of great efficacy in 

 healing wounds. 



Balsam-bearing Adesmia. Shrub. 



18 A. FLORIBU'NDA ; plant erect, shrubby; branches pubes- 

 cent ; leaves with numerous pairs of lanceolate-oblong, mucro- 

 nate, villous leaflets, which are obtuse at both ends and villous 

 beneath as well as the petioles ; peduncles axillary, few-flowered, 

 aggregate, short, forming a panicled raceme at the tops of the 

 branches, in consequence of the upper leaves being abortive. 

 5? . G. Native of Mexico. JEschinomene, spec. nov. N. E. in 

 herb. Lamb. An elegant shrub. 



Bundle-flowered Adesmia. Shrub 2 to 4 feet. 



Cult. The annual species should be treated in the same 

 manner as that recommended for Myriadcnus, see p. 279. The 

 shrubby and perennial kinds will grow well in a mixture of loam, 

 peat, and sand, and they may be propagated either by young 

 cuttings, planted in sand, with a hand-glass placed over them ; 

 those of the stove-species in heat, or by seeds, the latter mode 

 is to be preferred. 



CL. jESCHYNO'MENE (from aw^y, ahcJmno, to be 

 ashamed : in reference to the leaves of some of the species fall- 

 ing on the slightest touch, like those of the sensitive plant). Lin. 

 gen. 888. Lam. ill. 629. Beauv. fl. d'ow. 1. p. 88. R. Brown, 

 in hort. kew. ed. 2. vol. 4. p. 336. Desv. journ. bot. 3. p. 124. 

 t. 6. f. 26. D. C. prod. 2. p. 320, but not of Jaum. 



LIN. SYST. Diadelphia, Decandria. Calyx 5-cleft, bila- 

 biate, upper lip bifid, lower one trifid or tridentate. Corolla 

 papilionaceous. Stamens 10, joined into 2 equal bundles or sets. 

 Legume compressed, transversely articulated, straight, and ex- 

 serted. Seeds compressed, solitary in the joints. Tropical 

 herbs and shrubs, with impari-pinnate leaves, having many pairs 

 of leaflets, semisagittate stipulas, axillary racemes of yellow 

 flowers, each furnished with 2 opposite bracteas just vinder the 

 calyx. 



1 IE. A'SPERA (Lin. spec. 1060.) stem herbaceous, erect, te- 

 rete ; leaves with 30-40 pairs of linear leaflets, which are smooth 

 as well as the legumes ; racemes compound ; peduncles, brac- 

 teas, calyxes, and corollas hispid, fy . S. Native of the East 

 Indies and Cochin-china. JE. lagenaria, Lour, cochin, p. 446. JE. 

 paludosa, Roxb. JE, lagen&rium, Roxb. hort. beng. p. 57. Breyn. 

 cent. 51. t. 52. Stipulas ending in a long acumen each. The 

 centres of the joints of the legume are scabrous from tubercles. 



The substance known by the name of rice-paper is the pro- 

 duce of M. (ispera ; when held between the eye and the 

 light its beautiful cellular tissue is discoverable. Dr. Living- 

 stone first brought from China to Europe a quantity of this 

 substance, which he presented about 26 years ago to Miss Jane 

 Jack, who was celebrated for the beauty and accuracy of her 

 artificial flowers. Formed of rice-paper they obtained additional 

 celebrity, fetched very high prices, and were eagerly sought for 

 by persons of the greatest rank and most acknowledged taste. 

 For a bouquet which Miss Jack presented to the late Princess 



Charlotte of Wales, she received the regal present of 701. 

 When Dr. Livingstone first procured the rice-paper from the 

 Chinese, the pieces did not exceed 4 inches square ; they were 

 dyed of various shades and colours, and cost about 6rf. each 

 square. Since that time the price has been much reduced, 

 and the size of the pieces increased, so as to be upwards of a 

 foot long and 5 inches across. The tinted pieces are employed 

 by the Chinese for their artificial flowers, and the plain white 

 for making drawings upon. Now this material is so much 

 esteemed in Europe, that it is in request with people of all 

 nations who visit Canton. The same substance is also known 

 in our possessions in the East Indies, where it grows abundantly 

 in the marshy plains of Bengal, and on the borders of the jeels, 

 or extensive lakes in every province between Calcutta and 

 Hurd\jar. The plant is perennial and of low growth, and 

 seldom exceeds a diameter of 2J inches in the stem. It is 

 brought to the Calcutta bazaars in great quantities in a green 

 state, and the thickest stems are cut into laminae, from which 

 the natives form artificial flowers and various fancy ornaments 

 to decorate their shrines at Hindoo festivals. The Indians make 

 hats of rice-paper, by cementing together as many leaves as will 

 produce the requisite thickness ; in this way any kind of shape 

 may be formed, and when covered with silk or cloth the hats are 

 strong and inconceivably light. It is an article of great use to 

 fishermen ; it forms floats of the best description to their nets. 

 The slender stems of the plant are bundled into fascines, about 

 3 feet long, and with one of these under his arm, does every 

 fisherman go out to his daily occupation. With his net on his 

 shoulders he proceeds to work without a boat, and stretches it 

 into the deepest and most extensive lakes, supported by his 

 buoyant faggot. 



The cutting the material into laminae is performed vertically 

 round the stem. The most perfect stems are selected for this 

 purpose, but few are found sufficiently free from knots to pro- 

 duce a cutting of more than 9 or 10 inches in length. The 

 Bengalee name of the plant is Shola, commonly pronounced 

 Sola, Kath-shola, and Phool-shola. 



Rough vEschynomene. Fl. June, Jul. Clt. 1759. Sh. 6 to 8 ft. 



2 ./E. SENSITIVA (Swartz, fl. ind. occ. 3. p. 1276.) stem 

 shrubby, smooth, terete; leaves with 16-20 pairs of linear leaf- 

 lets ; legumes and racemes glabrous ; peduncles branched, few- 

 flowered ; joints of legume 6-10, nearly quadrangular, smooth 

 in the middle, but rather pilose at the upper suture^^b . S. 

 Native of Jamaica, Martinico, and Brazil, in sandy places, and 

 on the banks of rivulets. Leaves falling on being touched. 

 Flowers white. 



Sensitive Jischynomene. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1733. Sh. 

 3 to 6 feet. 



3 IE. MACRO'PODA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 320.) stem herbaceous, 

 terete, scabrous at the apex as well as the branches, peduncles, 

 and petioles ; leaves with 10-12 pairs of linear leaflets; pedun- 

 cles few-flowered ; joints of legume 5-7, smooth, the stipe 3 

 times the length of the lower joint. Q. S. Native of Senegal. 

 Stamens monadelphous at the base, but easily separated into 2 

 bundles, even in a dried state. Stipulas small. 



Far. 13, Belvisii (D. C. prod. 2. p. 320.) leaves with 10 pairs 

 of glabrous leaflets ; peduncles branched, few-flowered, clothed 

 with glandular pubescence ; joints of legume 4-6, scabrous in 

 the middle. Tj . S. Native of Prince's Island, on the western 

 coast of Africa. IE. sensitiva, Beauv. fl. d'ow. 1. p. 89. t. 53. 



Long-footed-^o&AeA .ZEschynomene. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



4 JE. SULCA'TA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 530.) 

 arborescent ; branches striated from furrows, rather flexuous, 

 glabrous, when young hispid as well as the peduncles ; leaves 

 with 17-21 pairs of linear, mucronate leaflets, which are glabrous 

 as well as the calyxes ; bracteas ciliated; joints of legume 7-9, 



o o 2 



