288 



LEGUMINOSyE. CLIV. NICOLSONIA. CLV. DESMODIUM. 



4 N. VILLOSA (Sclilecht. et Cham, in Linna*a. 5. p. 584.) 

 plant herbaceous ; stems erect, clothed with rusty spreading 

 hairs ; leaflets elliptic, silky and glaucous beneath, but almost gla- 

 brous above ; legumes puberulous, 3-jointed. Tj.. G. Native 

 of Mexico. Axillary branches bearing the flowers at the apex, 

 hardly longer than the leaves. Flowers disposed in dense 

 racemes. 



bilious Nicolsonia. PI. 3 feet. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Uraria, p. 287. 



CLV. DESMO'DIUM (from cttrpoc, dcsmos, a band ; in re- 

 ference to the stamens being connected). D. C. legum. mem. vi. 

 prod. 2. p. 325. Desmodium and Hedysarum, Desv.journ. bot. 

 3. p. 122. t. 5. f. 15 and 22. H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. 

 p. 516 and 527. Hedysarum species of Lin. and others. 



LIN. SYST. Diadelphia, Decandrin. Calyx bibracteolate at 

 the base, obscurely bilabiate to the middle, upper lip bifid, lower 

 one 3-parted (f. 44. a.). Corolla papilionaceous, with a roundish 

 vexillum (f. 44. 6.) and an obtuse keel (f. 44. c.), which is shorter 

 than the wings. Stamens diadelphous (f. 44. d.), with the fila- 

 ments almost permanent (f. 44. f.). Legume of many 1 -seeded, 

 compressed, membranous or coriaceous, hardly dehiscent joints 

 (f. 44. g.\ which separate at maturity. Herbs or small shrubs, 

 for the most part natives within the tropics, with pinnately-tri- 

 foliate leaves, sometimes the lateral leaflets absent altogether, or 

 very small, then the leaves in such cases are called simple. Sti- 

 pels 2 at the base of the terminal leaflet, and one at the base of 

 each lateral leaflet. Racemes of flowers terminal, usually loose. 

 Pedicels filiform, 1 -flowered, rising singly, but usually by 

 threes from the axils of the bracteas. Flowers purple, blue, or 

 white, smaller than those of Hedysarum. The plants belonging 

 to this genus are not well defined. 



SECT. I. EUDESMODIUM (from eu, good or well, and Desmo- 

 dium ; this section contains the genuine species of the genus). 

 D. C. legum. vi. prod. 2. p. 325. Joints of legume coriaceous, 

 indehiscent, rather elliptic and somewhat truncate at both extre- 

 mities. Leaves pinnately-trifoliate. Peduncles axillary, shorter 

 than the petioles. Flowers disposed in corymbose umbels. 



1 D. UMBELLA'TUM (D. C. prod. 2. p. 325.) stem shrubby, 

 branched, terete, smooth ; branches pubescent ; leaflets ovate, 

 obtuse, glabrous above, but canescent beneath from short down ; 

 peduncles axillary, shorter than the petioles, bearing umbels of 

 flowers at their apexes ; legumes clothed with adpressed villi. 



J? . S. Native of Malacca, Ceylon, Java, and Madagascar. He- 

 dysarum umbellatum, Lin. spec. 1053. Burm. ind. 166. Jacq. 

 hort. schoenbr. 297. Rumph. amb. 4. t. 52. Flowers white. 



Var. ft, hirsutum (D. C. prod. 2. p. 326.) branches and pe- 

 tioles hairy ; leaflets ovate, rather glabrous above, but hairy be- 

 neath ; racemes shorter than the petioles, umbelliferous ; legumes 

 hairy. Tj . S. Native of the East Indies. 



Umbellate-fiowered Desmodium. Clt. 1801. Sh. 3 to 6 feet. 



2 D. AUSTRA'LE (D. C. prod. 2. p. 326.) stem shrubby, 

 branched, terete, glabrous ; branchlets pubescent ; leaflets ellip- 

 tic, acute, glabrous above, but canescent beneath from short 

 down ; peduncles axillary, shorter than the leaves, somewhat 

 umbelliferous ; legumes smooth. Tj . S. Native of New Cale- 

 donia, and the island of Tanna. Hedysarum umbellatum, Forst. 

 prod. no. 274. but not of Lin. Hedysarum australe, Willd. 

 spec. 3. p. 1183. Very like the preceding species. 



Southern Desmodium. Shrub 2 to 4 feet. 



3 D. LUTE'SCENS (Desv. 1. c.) stem terete, pubescent; leaflets 

 obovate-roundish, pubescent ; racemes terminal, and are as well 

 as the legumes clothed with velvety villi. Tj . G. Native of 

 China. Hed. lutescens, Poir. diet. 6. p. 417. Zornia lutescens, 

 Steud. nom. 900. Flowers yellowish. 



Yellowish Desmodium. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



SECT. II. PLEUROI.OBIUM (from irXtvpov, plcttron, a side, and 

 \oftoe, lobos, a lobe ; in reference to the joints of the legumes 

 being rather convex on one side). D. C. legum. vi. prod. 2. 

 p. 326. Joints of legume membranous, nearly square, the lower 

 side rather convex, and at length dehiscent. Leaves furnished 

 with one leaflet, or pinnately-trifoliate, the lateral leaflets very 

 small. Perhaps a proper genus. 



* Pteropoda (from irrcpoy, pleroii, a wing, and Trove 

 pans podos, a foot ; in reference to the footstalks of the leaves 

 being winged). D. C. prod. 2. p. 326. Leaves hariiig only one 

 leaflet. Petioles winged; wing drawn out into a tooth on both 

 sides at the apex. 



4 D. AURICULA' TUM (D. C. legum. mem. vi.) stems erect, 

 glabrous, triquetrous ; leaves ovate, acute, glabrous, 4 times 

 longer than the winged petioles ; legumes quite glabrous, and 

 rather coriaceous. I? . G. Native of the island of Timor. 

 Pteroloma auriculatum, Desv. in herb. mus. par. Joints of le- 

 gume 4 or 5, easily separating at maturity. 



/luricled-leaved Desmodium. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1819. 

 Shrub 3 to 6 feet. 



5 D. TRI'QUETRUM (D. C. prod. 2. p. 326.) stems erect, 

 smoothish, triquetrous ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, rather cordate, 

 acuminated, 3 times longer than the winged petiole ; legumes 

 nearly sessile, hairy. T? S. Native of the East Indies. He- 

 dysarum triquetrum, Lin. spec. 1052. Burm. ind. t. 52. f. 2. 

 zeyl. t. 81. ? Flowers purple. 



Triquetrous-stemmed Desmodium. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1802. 

 Shrub 3 to 6 feet. 



6 D. I>SEUDOTRI'Q.UETRUM (D. C. in ann. sc. nat. 1. p. 100. 

 legum. mem. vi.) stems ascending, rather hairy, triquetrous; 

 leaflets ovate-lanceolate, rather cordate, acuminated, twice the 

 length of the winged petioles ; legumes glabrous, but ciliated 

 on both sutures with adpressed villi. lj . G. Native of Nipaul. 

 Flowers purple. 



False-triquetrous-stemmed Desmodium. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 

 1820. Shrub 3 to 6 feet. 



7 D. ALA'TUM (D. C. legum. mem. vi.) stems erect, some- 

 what tetragonal, glabrous ; leaflets lanceolate, acuminated, H 

 times longer than the petioles ; legumes glabrous, membranous. 

 >j . S. Native of the East Indies, at Cawnpore. Hedysarum 

 alatum, Roxb. hort. beng. 56. Joints of legume 5-6, sometimes 

 irregularly triangular. Flowers purple. 



//"(' n-/-petioled Desmodium. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1817. 

 Shrub 3 to 6 feet. 



* Gyrtintia (from gyro, to whirl). D. C. prod. 2. p. 326. 

 Leaves ^innately-trifoliate ; petiole wingless. 



8 D. GY'RANS (D.C. prod. 2. p. 

 326.) plant glaucous; leaflets 3, 

 elliptic-oblong, terminal one very 

 large, but the lateral ones are very 

 small ; racemes numerous, dispos- 

 ed in a panicle ; legumes pubes- 

 cent. $ . S. Native of Bengal. 

 Hedysarum gyrans, Lin. fil. suppl. 

 332. Jacq. icon. rar. 3. t. 562. 

 Flowers violaceous. The singular 

 motion with which the lateral leaf- 

 lets of this plant are endued is thus 

 described in Linnaeus's supple- 

 ment. " This is a wonderful plant 

 on account of iis singular motion, 

 which is not occasioned by any 

 touch, or irritation, or movement 

 in the air, as in Mimosa O'xalis 



FIG. 44. 



