.S98 



LEGUMINOS.E. CCXXIX. DESMANTHUS. 



SECT. I. NEPTI^NIA (so called on account of the species con- 

 tained in this section being inhabitants of lakes and ponds). 

 Lour. coch. p. 654. D. C. legum. mem. xii. prod. 2. p. 44 K 

 Legume oblong, 4-6-seeded, broadest at the base. Sterile fila- 

 ments all petaloid. Prostrate, usually rooting, aquatic herbs, 

 furnished with bipinnate leaves, which are sensible to the touch, 

 as those of the sensitive plants, and axillary solitary peduncles. 

 Leaves with 2-3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 10-12 pairs 

 of leaflets. 



1 D. LACU'STRIS (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1044.) stems creeping, 

 terete ; leaves with 3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing many 

 pairs of leaflets ; peduncles bracteate ; spikes of flowers ovate. 

 I/ . W. S. Native of South America, near Mompox, floating in 

 stagnant water, as well as in the river Magdalena. Mimosa la- 

 custris, Humb. et Bonpl. pi. equin. 1. t. 16. Mimosa aquatica, 

 Pers. ench. no. 58. Sterile stamens white tipped with yellow. 



Lake Desmanthus. Fl. July. Clt. 1818. PI. fl. 



2 D. NA'TANS (Willd. 1. c.) stems terete, creeping, inflated in 

 parts; leaves with 2-3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing many 

 pairs of leaflets ; spikes of flowers ovate ; peduncles naked, or 

 only furnished with one bractea. () W. S. Native of the East 

 Indies and Cochin-china, floating in stagnant water. Mimosa na- 

 tans, Roxb. cor. 2. t. 119. Andr. bot. rep. 629. Neptunia olerft- 

 cea, Lour. coch. p. 804. Mimosa prostrata, Lam. diet. 1. p. 10. 

 Pluk. aim. t. 307. f. 4. Rheed* mal. t. 20. Sterile stamens 

 yellow. 



Floating Desmanthus. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1800. PI. fl. 



3 D. STOLONIFER (D. C. prod. 2. p. 444.) stems terete, creep- 

 ing ; leaves with 2-3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing many 

 pairs of leaflets ; spikes of flowers nearly globose ; peduncles long, 

 naked, or furnished with one bractea in the middle. l/.W. H. 

 Native of Senegal, floating in stagnant water. The plant throws 

 out large branched roots. Stamens long, petaloid. Mimosa 

 stolonifera, Perr. in litt. Mimosa aquatica, Bade in litt. 



Stolon-bearing Desmanthus. PI. fl. 



4 D. POLYPHY'LLUS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 444.) stem erect? an- 

 gular ; leaves with 4 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing many 

 pairs of leaflets ; peduncles furnished with 2 bracteas each ; 

 spikes of flowers ovate. I/. W. S. Native country unknown. 

 Leaflets 30-40 pairs. Legume oval-oblong, tapering into a stipe 

 at the base, 5-seeded. 



Many-lcajlettcd Desmanthus. PI. fl. 



5 D. TRIQUETRUS (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1045 ) stems prostrate, 

 compressed, triquetrous at the base ; leaves with 2-3 pairs of 

 pinnae, each pinna bearing 12 pairs of leaflets; spikes of flowers 

 globose ; peduncles furnished with 2 deciduous bracteas. 11 . 

 W. S. Native of the East Indies. Mimosa triquetra, Vahl. 

 symb. 3. p. 101. Mimosa natans, Lin. fil. suppl. 439. 



Triquetrous-stemmed Desmanthus. Fl.July. Clt. 1820. PI. fl. 



6 D. PLE'NUS (Willd. spec. 1. c.) stems prostrate, compressed ; 

 leaves with 2-4 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 12 pairs of 

 leaflets; peduncles bracteate. Q. W. S. Native of Mexico, 

 about Vera Cruz, in water. Mimosa plena, Lin. spec.. 1502. 

 Mill. fig. t. 182. f. 2. Banks, rel. Houst. t. 23. Bracteas 2 on 

 each peduncle, broad, ovate-lanceolate, acuminated. Flowers 

 white and yellow. 



Full Desmanthus. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1733. PI. fl. 



SECT. II. DESMA'NTHEA (an alteration from the generic name). 

 D. C. legum. mem. xii. prod. 2. p. 444. Legumes linear, 10-15- 

 seeded. Sterile stamens almost filiform. Neuter flowers usually 

 apetalous. Shrubs or subshrubs, with leaves which are not sen- 

 sible to the touch as those of the last section. Leaves bipinnate, 

 with from 2-5 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing from 12-15 

 pairs of leaflets. 



7 D. DEPRE'SSUS (Humb. et Bonpl. in Willd. spec. 4. p. 1546.) 



stems suffruticose, prostrate ; leaves with 2 pairs of pinnae ; pe- 

 tiole bearing one gland at the apex ; spikes capitate, few-flow- 

 ered ; flowers decandrous ; legume narrow, linear. Tj . S. Na- 

 tive of Peru, near Moche, and of Guadaloupe. Kunth, mini. p. 

 115. t. 35. nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 262. Mimosa depressa, Poir. 

 suppl. 1 . p. 58. Flowers white. 



Depressed Desmanthus. Shrub prostrate. 



8 D. DIFFU'SUS (Willd. 1. c.) stems suffruticose, prostrate ; 

 leaves with 4-5 pairs of pinnae ; spikes capitate, few-flowered ; 

 flowers pentandrous ; legumes narrow, linear. Tj.S. Native 

 of New Andalusia, in shady places near Cumana. H. B. et 

 Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 262. Mimosa Pernambucana, Lin. 

 spec. 1503. Pluk. phyt. t. 307. f. 3. Very nearly allied to 

 the following species. Flowers white. 



Diffuse Desmanthus. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1731. Sh. pros. 



9 D. LEPTOPHY'LLUS (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 264.) stems suftruticose ; leaves with 6-7 pairs of pinnae, each 

 pinna bearing 16-20 pairs of linear, acute, ciliated leaflets, with 

 a gland seated on the petiole between the lower pair of pinnae ; 

 heads few-flowered ; flowers decandrous ; legumes linear, elon- 

 gated. ^ . S. Native of Cumana, near Bordones. Flowers 

 white. 



Slender-leaved Desmanthus. Shrub li foot. 



10 D. VIRGA'TUS (Willd. spec. 4. p. 1047. exclusive of the 

 synonymies of Pluk. and Rheed.) stems suffruticose, erect, an- 

 gular ; leaves with 3-4 pairs of pinnae, with a gland situated be- 

 tween the lower pair ; peduncles naked ; spikes few-flowered, 

 capitate ; flowers decandrous ; legume narrow, linear, 25-30- 

 seeded. Tj . S. Native of the East Indies. Mimosa virgata, 

 Lin. spec. 1502. Jacq. hort. vind. t. 80. Sims, hot. mag. 2454. 

 Flowers white. Anthers yellow. 



T n ''ggy Desmanthus. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1774. Shrub 1 

 to 2 feet. 



1 1 D. STRI'CTUS (Bertol. vir. bon. 1824. p. 49.) stem suffru- 

 ticose, erect, angular ; leaves with 2-3 pairs of pinnae, with a 

 gland seated on the petiole beneath the lower pair ; peduncles 

 naked ; spikes capitate, few-flowered ; flowers decandrous ; le- 

 gume narrow, linear, 15-20-seeded. Jj . S. Native of the 

 West Indies. Mimosa angustisiliqua, Lam. diet. 1 . p. 10. 

 Flowers white. Very like D. virgatus according to Bess. cat. 

 hort. crem. 1816. p. 49. of which it is perhaps only a variety. 



Straight-stemmed. Desmanthus. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1800. 

 Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



12 D. PUNCTA V TUS (W T illd. 1. c.) stem suffruticose, erect ; leaves 

 with 4-5 pairs of pinnae, with a gland situated en the petiole 

 beneath the lower pair ; spikes of flowers ovate ; peduncles fur- 

 nished with deciduous bracteas at the base ; flowers decandrous ; 

 legume linear-oblong, rather oblique at the base, hardly 5 times 

 longer than broad. I? . S. Native of Jamaica, St. Domingo, 

 and Guadaloupe. Mimosa punctata, Lin. spec. 1502. Comm. 

 hort. 1. t. 31. Flowers white. The legume has the form of 

 those species contained in the section Neptunia, but it contains 

 from 12-15 seeds as in those of the present section. 



Dotted Desmanthus. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1686. Shrub 2 

 to 3 feet. 



13 D. TENE'LLUS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 445.) stems rather diffuse ; 

 leaves with 3-4 pairs of pinnae, having a gland situated on the 

 petiole beneath the lower pair ; peduncles naked, shorter than 

 the petioles ; legume linear, 10-12-seeded, hardly 5 times longer 

 than the breadth. *j . S. Native of the East Indies. Legume 

 3-9 lines long, and 2 lines broad. 



Weak Desmanthus. Shrub 1 foot. 



SECT. III. DICHRO'STACHYS (from tic, dis, two, XP'^A 1 ") chroma, 

 colour, and trra-^vf, stachys, a spike ; in reference to the two co- 

 lours of the spikes of flowers, from the white and yellow stamens). 



