LEGUMINOS^E. CCXVI. AMERIMNVM. CCXVII. BKYA. CCXVIII. DEGUELIA. CCXIX. SWARTZIA. 



379 



2 A. STRIGULOSUM (H. B. et Kuntli, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 389.) leaves ovate, rather cordate, obtuse, clothed with adpres- 

 sed pili on both surfaces. Fj . S. Native on the banks of the 

 Orinoco. Branches and petioles clothed with ferruginous to- 

 mentuni. Racemes axillary, solitary, 3 times longer than the 

 petioles. 



Strigulose Amerimnum. Shrub 6 to 10 feet. 



Cull. See Pterocarpus, p. 377, for culture and propagation. 



CCXVII. BRY'A (from fipv<o, bryo, to sprout ; the seeds 

 germinate before falling from the tree). P. Browne, jam. 1299. 

 Bronn. legum. 135. D. C. prod. 2. p. 421. Aldina, Adans. 

 fam. 328. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Decandria. Flowers the same as 

 those of Atni'rimnum, but the stamens are all monadelphous, the 

 tenth one concrete with the others to the middle. Legume bi- 

 articulate; joints 1 -seeded, dehiscent, compressed, with the 

 superior suture straight, and the lower one convex, but the up- 

 per joint is sometimes wanting. American trees, furnished with 

 stipular spines, simple crowded leaves, or perhaps trifoliate 

 leaves, with the leaflets sessile. 



1 B. E'BENTS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 421.) spines distinct; leaflets 

 aggregate, obovate ; peduncles 2-3-together, axillary, 1-2-flow- 

 ered, shorter than the leaves. Tj . S. Native of the West In- 

 dies. P. Browne, jam. 299. t. 31. f. 2. Plum. ed. Burm. t. 240. 

 f. 1. Aspalathus E'benus, Lin. spec. 1001. Amerimnum E'be- 

 nus, Swartz, prod. 104. Pterocarpus buxifolius, Murr. syst. 

 642. Pterocarpus glabrus, Reichb. Flowers bright yellow. Fruit 

 lunate, hairy. The wood of this tree is cut in the West Indies, 

 and sent to England under the name of ebony, though it is not 

 the true ebony, which is a plant of a very different genus. The 

 wood of this American ebony being of a fine greenish brown 

 colour, and polishing very well, and of a very hard durable 

 nature, is much coveted by musical instrument makers. Dr. 

 Browne says that the small dimensions of this shrubby tree 

 renders it fit only for few purposes, the trunk seldom exceeding 

 3 or 4 inches in diameter, but that the slender branches being 

 very tough and flexile are frequently used for riding switches, 

 and generally kept at all the wharfs about Kingston to scourge 

 the refractory slaves. 



American Ebony. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1713. Tree 1 2 to 1 4 ft. 



2 B. ? PARVIFLORA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 421.) spines connate ; 

 leaflets oblong-lanceolate, tapering to the base ; racemes brac- 

 teate, few-flowered. fj . S. Native of Brazil. Amerimnum 

 parviflorum, Spreng. neueentd. 2. p. 159. 



Small-flowered Brya. Shrub 12 feet. 



Cult. See Pterocdrpus for culture and propagation, p. 377. 



CCXVIII. DEGUE'LIA (abridged from assa-ha pa gar a un- 

 di-guele, the Caribbean name of the plant). Aubl. guian. 2. p. 

 750. t. 300. Lam. ill. t. 603. D. C. prod. 2. p. 422. Cylizoma, 

 Neck. elem. no. 1343. 



LIN. SYST. Diadelplua, Decandria. Calyx bilabiate, upper 

 lip entire, lower one trifid. Petals 5, disposed into a papilio- 

 naceous corolla ; wings and carina equal in length, but the vex- 

 illum is larger. Stamens 10, diadelphous. Ovary (ex Richard) 

 declinate, narrow, oblong, hispid, straightish. Style stretched 

 out, capillary, hispid on the inner side even to the apex. Stigma 

 terminal, capitate, glandular. Legume (ex Aubl.) globose, small, 

 2-valved, 1 -seeded. Seed spherical, covered with farina. A 

 sarmentose shrub, with impari-pinnatc leaves, furnrshed with 2 

 pairs of oval acute leaflets, spike-formed axillary racemes of 

 flowers. This genus, according to its habit, is allied to Nissbtia 

 and Pterocarpus, but the legume, as it is described by Aublet, 

 belongs probably to a different plant (according to Richard). 



1 D. SCA'NDENS (Aubl. 1. c.) Tj . w . S. Native of Guiana, 



on the banks of rivers. Branches and leaves glabrous. Pe- 

 duncles clothed with brown velvety down. Bracteas small, 

 acute. Flowers white. 



Climbing Deguelia. Shrub cl. 



Cult. See Pterocarpus for culture and propagation, p. 377. 



Suborder II. or Tribe VII. 



SWARTZIE V .ZE (plants agreeing with Swartzia in important 

 characters). D. C. legum. mem. xi. prod. 2. p. 422. Sepals 

 closely joined into an ovate-globose alabastrum before expan- 

 sion (f. 52. 6.), which at last bursts valvately, as the flowers 

 expand (f. 52. g.). Petals few, irregular or wanting, and are, 

 as well as the stamens, hypogynous (f. 52. rf.). Radicle in- 

 curved (f. 21. e.f.). Cotyledons thick. Germination unknown. 

 Leaves simple or simply pinnate. This is a very distinct sub- 

 order or tribe, agreeing with Detarieee in the valveless calyx, 

 with tribe Mlrnosece in the hypogynous stamens, and in the 

 irregular petals as well as in the habit of the plants with Dal- 

 bergiece. 



CCXIX. SWA'RTZIA (in honour of Olof Swartz, M.D. a 

 long time resident in the West Indies, and author of Flora In- 

 dica Occidentalis, &c.) Schreb. gen. 1227. Willd. spec. 2. p. 

 1219. D. C. prod. 2. p. 422. 



LIN. SYST. Deca-PolydnJria, Monogynla. Sepals closely con- 

 nected into an ovate-globose alabastrum, but bursting afterwards 

 somewhat irregularly and almost valvately almost to the base. Pe- 

 tal one, hypogynous, flat, lateral or wanting. Stamens 10-15-25, 

 variable in number, hypogynous, sometimes with 2 or 4 of them 

 larger than the others, and sterile, and appearing like petals, the 

 rest usually connected a little way at the base. Legume usually 

 stipitate, 2-valved, 1 -celled, few-seeded. Seeds arillate, exal- 

 buminous. Embryo with thick cotyledons, and an uncinately, in- 

 flexed, short, exserted radicle. Trees, with simple or impari- 

 pinnate leaves, and with the flowers rising in racemes from the 

 axils of the leaves. 



SECT. I. POSSIRA (the name of S. arborescens in Guiana). 

 Aubl. guian. 2. p. 934. Rittera, Schreb. gen. no. 1919. 

 Hoelzelia, Neck. elem. no. 1383. Flowers usually with one 

 petal, rarely with 3 ; when the last is the case, one of them is 

 much larger than the rest. 



* Leaves simple,- having the petiole bidentate at the apex. The 

 teeth in place of st/pels. 



1 S. SIMPLICIFOLIA (Willd. spec. 2. p. 1219.) leaves simple, 

 ovate-oblong, obtuse, emarginate ; peduncles usually 5-flowered ; 

 petal one, roundish, ovate, larger than the calyx ; stamens 

 20-25. tj. S. Native of the West Indies. Rittera sim- 

 plex, Vahl. Possira simplex, Swartz, prod. 82. Flowers pale 

 yellow. 



Simple-leaved Swartzia. Clt. 1818. Shrub 6 to 10 feet. 



2 S. GRANDIFLORA (Willd. 1. c.) leaves simple, oblong-ovate, 

 acuminated ; peduncles 3-flowered ; petal roundish-reniform, 

 large ; stamens 20-25. 17 . S. Native of Trinidad and St. 

 Vincent. Rittera grandiflora, Vahl. eel. 2. p. i>7. pi. amer. dec. 

 1. t. 9. Flowers yellow. Ovary stipitate, arched. 



Greal-florvercd Swartzia. Clt. 1821. Shrub 6 to 8 feet. 



3 S. DODECA'NDRA (Willd. 1. c.) leaves simple, ovate, drawn 

 out at the apex into an emarginate acumen ; peduncles usually 

 5-flowered ; petal oblong, length of calyx ; stamens 10-20. 



Tj . S. Native of South America. Rittera dodecandra, Vahl. 

 symb. 2. p. 60. t. 34. Ovary stipitate. Flowers yellow. 

 Dodecandrous Swartzia. Shrub 6 feet. 



4 S. PARVIFLORA (D. C. legum. mem. xi. t. 60.) leaves simple, 

 on very short petioles, ovate, drawn out into an emarginate 



3c 2 



