432 



LEGUMINOSvE. CCXLIX. OESAIPINIA. CCL. POIXCIAXA. 



SECT. IV. LIBIDI'BIA (Libidibi is the name of the legume at 

 Curacoa). Legume oblong, spongy, incurved laterally, con- 

 crete between the seeds inside, and somewhat many-celled. 



25 C. CORIA'IUA (Willd. spec. 2. p. 532.) unarmed, glabrous ; 

 leaves with 6-7 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 15-20 pairs 

 of linear, obtuse leaflets ; racemes panicled ; pedicels shorter 

 than the flowers. J? . S. Native of Cura<joa, Carthagena, St. 

 Domingo, in salt marshes by the sea-side. Ponciana coriaria, 

 Jacq. amer. 123. t. 175. f. 36. C. coriaria, Kunth, mim. t. 45. 

 C. Thomae'a, Spreng. in herb. Balb. The legumes are called 

 Libidibi, and are used in tanning leather when ripe by the Spa- 

 niards and natives. The flowers are small and yellow. 



Hide Brasiletto. Tree 1 5 to 20 feet. 



26 C. DV/BIA (Spreng. syst. 2. p. 343.) leaves with 12 pairs 

 of pinnae, each pinna bearing 2-4 pairs of oblong, oblique, mu- 

 cronate leaflets, which are discoloured beneath ; racemes panicled, 

 and are as well as the calyxes clothed with rusty down ; legume 

 1 -seeded, J? . S. Native of Brazil. Sello. 



Doubtful Brasiletto. Tree. 



-j- Species not sufficiently known. 



27 C. LEBBEKOIDES (D. C. prod. 2. p. 483.) nearly unarmed, 

 glabrous ; leaves abruptly bipinnate, with 3-4 pairs of pinnae, 

 each pinna bearing 6-7 pairs of ovate, obtuse, unequal leaflets ; 

 legumes compressed, flat, elongated, linear, membranous. lj . G. 

 Native of China. Protuberances under the leaves almost spi- 

 nose. Legume almost like that of Acacia Lebbek. Umbilical 

 funicle straight. Flowers unknown. 



Lebbek-like Brasiletto. Tree. 



28 C. ? PUNCTA V TA (Willd. enum. 445.) unarmed ; leaves im- 

 pari-bipinnate ; pinnae impari-pinnate ; leaflets elliptic, obtuse, 

 mucronate, dotted. J? . S. Native of Brazil. Ponciana punc- 

 tata, Poir. suppl. 4. p. 449. The dots on the leaves vanish on 

 drying. Perhaps a species of Mormga. 



Dotted- leaved Brasiletto. Clt. 1820. Shrub 6 feet. 



29 C. ? ECHINA'TA (Lam. diet. 1. p. 461.) prickly; leaves 

 bipinnate ; leaflets ovate, obtuse ; legumes echinated. Tj . S. 

 Native of Brazil, where the wood is used for dyeing. Guilan- 

 dlna echinata, Spreng. syst. 2. p. 327. Perhaps a true species 

 of Guilandma. Flowers yellow. This species is said to pro- 

 duce the best Brazil-wood or Brasiletto. 



Echinated-podded Brasiletto. Tree. 



30 C.? CASSIOIDES (Willd. enum. 444.) stipulas spinose ; 

 leaves with 2-3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 6-7 pairs of 

 oblong, retuse leaflets ; petioles rather pilose. Tj . S. Native 

 of South America. Ponciana cassioides, Poir. suppl. 4. p. 448. 

 Flowers and legumes unknown. 



Cassia-like Brasiletto. Clt. 1821. Shrub. 



31 C. ? MUCRONA'TA (Willd. enum. 444.) prickly; leaves bi- 

 pinnate, with 3 pairs of pinnae, each pinna bearing 7 pairs of 

 oblong, obtuse, mucronate, glabrous leaflets. Tj . S. Native of 

 Brazil. Ponciana mucronata, Poir. 1. c. Flowers and legumes 

 unknown. 



A/Mcronate-leafletted Brasiletto. Shrub. 



32 C. ? PLUVIOSA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 483.) unarmed; leaves 

 impari-bipinnate, with 6-8 pairs of pinnae, which are abruptly 

 pinnate, bearing 10-12 pairs of unequal, rhomboid-ovate, gla- 

 brous leafle'ts ; gland axillary, ovate ; racemes terminal ; pedicels 

 and calyxes clothed with rufous velvety down. J? . S. Native 

 of Brazil. Cubao'a pluviosa, Leandr. sacr. ined. According to 

 the testimony of Leandre, water flows from the young branches, 

 and falls from them in drops like rain. The superior segment 

 of the calyx is longer than the rest. The vexillum is shorter 

 than the other petals. Stamens with the filaments villous at the 

 base. Legume 1 -celled, few-seeded. All ex Leandr. 



Rainy Brasiletto. Tree 40 to 60 feet. 



33 C. PROCE'RA (Poppig. ex Spreng. syst. 2. p. 343.) leaves 

 simply pinnate, with many pairs of oblong-linear, obtuse, gla- 

 brous leaflets ; racemes few-flowered ; stamens about equal in 

 length to the corolla. Tj . S. Native of Cuba. Flowers yellow. 



Tall Brasiletto. Clt. 1824. Tree. 



t Species only known by name from Roxburgh's Horlus Ben- 

 galensis, p. 32. and p. 90. 



1 C. enneaphylla, Roxb. 2 C. oleosperma, Roxb. 3 C. Clu- 

 nensis, Roxb. 4 C. lacerans, Roxb. 5 C. rcsttpinata, Roxb. 

 6 C. paniculata, Roxb. 7 C. Sumatrana, Roxb. 8 C. poly- 

 phylla, Roxb. 



Cult. Ccesalpinia is a genus of fine flowering trees and shrubs, 

 but in our collections they are never allowed to grow to a size 

 large enough for flowering, in consequence of their being prickly, 

 and are not admired on that account. A mixture of loam and 

 peat suits them best. Cuttings are difficult to root, but some- 

 times will succeed if taken oft' from the mother plant in a grow- 

 ing state and planted in sand, with a hand-glass placed over 

 them in a moist heat. 



CCL. POINCIA'NA (in honour of M. de Poinci, once go- 

 vernor of the Antilles, and a patron of botany). Lin. gen. 515. 

 Lam. ill. t. 333. Gaertn. fruct. 2. t. 150. D. C. prod. 2. p. 483. 

 Poincia, Neck. elem. 1282. 



LIN. SYST. Dec&ndria, Monogynia. Calyx cup-shaped at the 

 base, permanent, 5-cleft, lower segment arched. Petals 5, sti- 

 pitate, upper one diffbrmed. Stamens 10, very long, all fertile, 

 with the filaments hairy at the base. Style very long. Legume 

 flat, compressed, 2-valved, somewhat many-celled from the seeds 

 being separated by a kind of cellular spongy substance. Seeds 

 obovate, compressed, with the endupleura gelatinous when placed 

 in water. Embryo with flat cotyledons, and an oval plumule. 

 Very elegant prickly or unarmed shrubs and trees, with abrupt- 

 ly-bipinnate leaves, and corymbous panicles of shewy flowers, on 

 long bractless pedicels. 



1 P; PULCHE'RRIMA (Lin. spec. 554.) prickly ; leaflets ob- 

 ovate ; calyx glabrous ; petals on long stipes, fringed. Tj , S. 

 Native of the East Indies and tropical Africa, from whence it 

 has migrated to South America and the West India Islands. 

 Reich, gart. mag. t. 93. D. C. legum. mem. xi. t. 23. f. 111. 

 Sims, bot. mag. 995. Merian. sur. t. 45. Rheed. mal. 6. 1. 1. 

 Rum ph. amb. 4. t. 20. Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Swartz, obs. 1 66. 

 To this species the P. pulcherrima, P. alata, and P. trijttga of 

 Burm. ind. p. 333. appertain. The Barbadoes flower-fence is 

 planted in the West Indies as hedges to divide the lands, whence 

 the English name. It is called Spanish carnation in some of our 

 West Indian colonies. Sir Hans Sloane calls it mild-senna, and Dr. 

 Browne calls it Barbadoes-pride. Its French name is Pounciade or 



jleurs de Paradis, Ligon says the seeds were first carried to Bar- 

 badoes from the Cape de Verd Islands. The flowers are beauti- 

 fully variegated with a deep red or deep orange colour, yellow, 

 and some spots of green; they have a very agreeable odour, 

 sometimes the flowers are deep orange, and sometimes yellow, 

 without any admixture. All parts of the plant are thought to 

 be very powerful amenegogues, and are frequently used for 

 that purpose among the negroes. 



Beautiful Barbadoes-flower-fence. Fl. Jul. Sept. Clt. 1691. 

 Shrub 6 to 8 feet. 



2 P. INSI'ONIS (Kunth, mim. t. 44. H. B. et Kunth, nov. 

 gen. amer. 6. p. 333.) prickly; calyx glabrous ; petals entire, 

 standing on very short stipes. Ij . S. Native of South Ame- 

 rica. Flowers copper-coloured, painted with purple veins. 



Noble Flower-fence. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1823. Shrub 6 

 to 10 feet. 



3 P. ELA'TA (Lin. spec. 554.) unarmed ; leaflets linear, obtuse, 



