424 



LEGUMINOS^E. CCXXXV. ARACHIS. CCXXXVI. VOANDZEIA. CCXXXVII. PERALTEA. 



red ; in reference to the red juice which flows from the tree 

 when cut). Al'/.elius, mss. R. Br. Congo, and in Denh. and 

 Clapp. trav. append, p. 30. 



LIN. SYST. Decandria, Monogynia. Flowers hermaphrodite, 

 regular. Calyx 5-cleft. Petals 5. Stamens perigynous. Le- 

 gume compressed, 2-valved, many-seeded. A lofty tree with a 

 spreading top and bipinnate leaves. Leaflets opposite, oval, 

 oblique, from roundish to lanceolate, repand, acuminated, and 

 entire. Racemes of flowers terminal and lateral. 



1 E. GUINEE'NSE (G. Don, in Edinb. phil. journ. 1824.). 

 Jj . S. Native of Sierra Leone and other parts of Guinea. The 

 red juice in which the tree abounds is used as an ordeal by the 

 natives of many parts of western Africa, as well as of the in- 

 terior, to detect the innocence or guilt of those who are accused 

 of any crime. The red juice is taken in large draughts, and 

 those who are not sufficiently strong to withstand this ordeal are 

 pronounced guilty, and those who are are considered innocent. 



Guinea Gregre-tree or Ordeal-tree. Fl. Feb. Clt. 1823. 

 Tree 100 feet. 



Cult. See Acacia for culture and propagation, p. 424. 



SUBORDER IV. C.ESALPINE/E (plant agreeing with Ccesalp'mia 

 in some important characters). R. Br. gen. rem. p. 19. congo. 

 p. 10. D. C. legum. mem. xiii. Lomentacearunj, and Papilio- 

 nacearum, Lin. gen. Reetembriese, Cassieae, and Cerceae, 

 Bronn. mem. Flowers more or less irregular, sometimes papi- 

 lionaceous, but usually regular (f. 55. c. f, 56. 6.). . Petals irre- 

 gularly imbricate in aestivation, never valvate, sometimes want- 

 ing, but never joined together, always free (f. 55. c. f. 56. 6,). 

 Stamens more or less unequal (f. 56. c. f. 57. d.) always peri- 

 jiynous, and usually free, rarely as in Tribe GeoffrecB having the 

 filaments concrete. Embryo straight (f. 21. g. h,-l. r.) with the 

 plumule usually large and conspicuous. 



Tribe IX. 



GEOFFRE'JE (plants agreeing with Geoffroya in particular cha- 

 racters). D. C. legum. mem. xiii. prod. 2. p. 473. Petals pe- 

 rigynous, unequal, disposed in a papilionaceous or sub-papilio- 

 naceous manner (f. 55. c.), imbricate in aesti%'ation. Stamens 

 monadelphous or diadelphous. Cotyledons fleshy or oily (f. 

 21. /.). This is an artificial tribe, which ought perhaps to have 

 been brought in among the Pap'dionacece, from the perigynous 

 papilionaceous flowers and connected stamens, but it agrees with 

 the sub-order CcesalpmecB in the embryo being straight, as in 

 the rest of that suborder. The genera belonging to this tribe 

 are also very dissimilar in habit, and ought perhaps to have 

 formed 4 or 5 distinct tribes. 



CCXXXV. ARA'CHIS (Aracos, a name under which Pliny 

 speaks of a plant with neither leaves nor branches, which comes 

 from a priv. and p'aac, rakls, a branch ; the present plant, how- 

 ever, has nothing to do with the plant of Pliny). Lin. gen. no. 

 876. Lam. ill. 615. D. C. prod. 2. p. 474. 



LIK. SYST. Dlddclplila, Decandria. Calyx a long pedicel- 

 like tube, with a bilabiate limb. Corolla resupinate. Stamens 

 and petals inserted in the throat of the calyx, 9 of the stamens 

 are joined together, and the free one sterile. Ovary stipitate, 

 inclosed in the tube of the calyx ; the stipe short at first but 

 afterwards becoming elongated. Style filiform. Legume ovate- 

 oblong, obtuse at both ends, gibbous, torulose, coriaceous, in- 

 dehiscent, 2-4-seeded, and reticulated with veins. Seeds thick, 

 oily inside. Embryo straight, with a short obtuse radicle, and 

 semi-elliptic cotyledons. An American herb, with elongated 

 stipulas which are adnate to the petioles, abruptly pinnate leaves 

 bearing 2 pairs of leaflets, without any tendril. Flowers yellow, 

 5-7 together in the axils of the leaves, lower ones subterraneous 

 and fertile, those above ground flowering but sterile. 



1 A. HYPOO^A (Lin. spec. 1040.) Q. S. Native of South 

 America, from whence it has been transported to Africa, Asia, 

 and the south of Europe, where it is extensively cultivated for 

 its seeds. Trew. ehret. t. 3. f. 3. Niss. act. par. 1723. t. 19. 

 Rumph. amb. 5. t. 136. D. C. legum. mem. ii. t. 20. f. 105. 

 A. Asiatica, Lour, cochin, p. 430. Branches diffusedly pro- 

 cumbent. All the European settlements in America abound 

 with ground-nuts, but it is generally supposed that it was brought 

 by the slaves from Africa. In South Carolina it is cultivated in 

 great quantities, where the inhabitants roast the nuts, as they are 

 commonly called, and make use of them as chocolate. In the 

 eastern countries they are a substitute for almonds. They 

 abound in a thin limpid oil proper for lamps, and it is much 

 used for this purpose in Cochin-china ; it supplies the place also 

 of their oil of olives for the use of the table, but is inferior to it 

 in flavour. About Paris it is raised on hot-beds, and transplanted 

 into the open garden, where it ripens its seeds, which are used as 

 other legumes. The pods are sold in most fruiterers' shops in 

 London. 



I'ar. ft, glabra (D. C. prod. 2. p. 474.) Q. S. A. Africana, 

 Lour. coch. p. 430. Leaves glabrous, not as in the species 

 rather pilose. 



Underground or Earth-nut. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1712. PI. 

 1 foot or procumbent. 



Cult. The seeds of the Underground-nut require to be sown 

 on a hot-bed, and when the plants have grown a sufficient size 

 they should be planted singly into separate pots, and set in the 

 stove among other tender annuals. After the plant has done 

 flowering, and the pods begin to lengthen, the pedicels force them 

 into the earth, where they ripen their seeds. 



CCXXXVI. VOANDZETA (Voandzou is the name of the 

 plant in Madagascar). Pet. Th. gen. mad. no. 777. D. C. prod. 

 2. p. 474. Cryptolobus, Spreng. ex Bronn. 



LIN. SYST. Polijgamia, Moncecia. Flowers polygamous, outer 

 ones male, sterile and bibracteolate, with a campanulate calyx, 

 and papilionaceous corolla, with horizontal wings. Stamens 

 diadelphous. Style incurved, hairy. Female flowers usually 

 solitary and fertile, borne on reflexed peduncles, with a campa- 

 nulate calyx, but the corolla and stamens are wanting. Ovary 

 2-seeded. Style short, ending in a hooked stigma. Legumes 

 subterraneous, roundish, fleshy, usually 1 -seeded from abortion. 

 A tufted creeping herb, with trifoliate leaves on long petioles ; 

 the leaflets oblong, the terminal one stalked. Seeds esculent. 

 The peduncles bend down, and penetrate the earth after the 

 flowers have decayed and pods begin to form. This genus is 

 allied to Arachis, or more probably to Amphicarpcea, but the 

 structure of the seeds is not sufficiently known to decide this 

 point. 



1 A. SUBTERRA'NEA (Pet. Th. 1. c.) Q. S. Native of Ma- 

 dagascar, many parts of the continent of Africa within the 

 tropics, Brazil, and Surinam. D. C. legum. mem. ii. t. 20. f. 

 106. Voandzou, Flac. mad. 118. Glycine subterranea, Lin. dec. 

 37. t. 17. Arachis Africana, Burm. ind. p. 22. Flowers yellow. 

 In Surinam and various parts of Africa the seeds are very 

 good, and are boiled in an unripe state like peas. They are 

 also very good when ripe. The Surinam name of the plant is 

 Gobbe. 



Underground-podded Voandzou. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1823. 

 PL | foot. 



Cult. See Arachis for culture and propagation, 



CCXXXVII. PERA'LTEA (in honour of Joseph Peralt, of 

 New Spain, who communicated dried specimens and seeds of 

 plants to Humboldt). H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 469. D. C. legum. mem. xiii. D. C. prod. 2. p. 474. 



LIN. SYST. Diadelphia, Decandria, Calyx furnished with 2 



