LEGUMINOS^E. CCLXIX. HETEROSTEMON. CCLXX. AMHERSTIA. CCLXXI. TAMARINDUS. 



4-37 



1 H. LAURIFOLIA (Valil. 1. c.) leaflets 3-5 pairs ; hind lobes of 

 stipulas drawn out, acute ; branches thickened at the internodes. 

 f; . S. Native of Java. Batschia laurif olia, Vahl. 1. c. 

 Laurel-leaved Humbohltia. Tree 30 to 40 feet. 

 Cult. For culture and propagation see Hardn-ickia, p. 436. 



CCLXIX. HETEROSTE'MON (inpoc, heteros. variable, 

 and ffrrifjLutv, stemon, a stamen, in reference to the variable length 

 of the stamens, as well as in some being fertile and others 

 sterile). Desf. mem. mus. 4. p. 248. D. C. prod. 2. p. 488. 



LIN. SYST. Afonadelphia, Octdndria. Calyx tubular, 4- 

 cleft, girded at the base by 2 connate, calyculate bracteas, the 

 segments oblong and acute. Petals 3, obovate, inserted in the 

 throat of the calyx. Stamens 8, unequal, long, declinale, mo- 

 nadelphous below and pilose above, the 3 lower ones are longer 

 and fertile, and 5 bearing barren 2-lobed anthers. Stipe of the 

 ovary concrete with the calyx. Style filiform. Legume flat, 

 tapering to both ends, many seeded. A tree, with abruptly 

 pinnate leaves and winged petioles, bearing linear, obtuse, emar- 

 ginate, glabrous leaflets. Flowers large, few, somewhat corym- 

 bous. This genus is allied to Tamarindus. 



1 H. MIMOSOIDKS (Desf. 1. c. t. 12.) Jj . S. Native of Brazil. 



Mimosa-like Heterostemon. Tree. 



Cult. See Tamarindus for culture and propagation, p. 438. 



CCLXX. AMHE'RSTIA (named by Dr. Wallich after the 

 Right Honourable Countess Amherst and her daughter Lady 

 Sarah Amherst, the zealous friends and constant promoters of 

 all branches of natural history, especially botany, who, during 

 their residence in India performed an arduous and extensive 

 journey to the northern regions of Northern and Western Hin- 

 doostan, spending many weeks among the mountains near the 

 Himalaya, where they obtained a very interesting collection of 

 preserved specimens of plants). Wall. pi. rar. asiat. 1. p. 1. t. 1. 



LIN. SYST. Diadilphia, Decandria, Sepals 4, connate into a 

 tube at the base, which is permanent and bears the staminiferous 

 column at the apex, girded by 2 large opposite bracteas at the 

 base, which are valvate in aestivation. Petals 5, unequal, 2 lower 

 ones very minute and curved, lateral ones cuneiform, divaricate, 

 upper one large, spreading, obcordate, and unguiculate. Sta- 

 mens 10, 9 of the filaments joined together into a long tube, 

 but free at the apex, alternate ones shortest, the tenth free, but 

 adnate to the pedicel of the ovary at the base. Anthers versa- 

 tile, all fertile. Ovary stipitate, falcate, 4-6-ovulate, with the 

 stipe adhering to the calycine tube. Style filiform, crowned by 

 a small convex stigma. Legume pedicellate, flat, oblong, few- 

 seeded. A tree, with large, impari-pinnate leaves, bearing 6-8 

 pairs of leaflets, and long pendulous axillary racemes of showy 

 scarlet flowers. 



1 A. KOBILIS (Wall. I.e.). Ij. S. Native of the Burman 

 Empire, in the garden of a decayed kioun, a sort of monastery, 

 2 miles from the right bank of the Saluen River, and 27 miles 

 from the town of Martaban, but its native place of growth is 

 still unknown, as the trees found in the garden have undoubtedly 

 been planted there. The flowers are large, of a fine vermilion 

 colour, diversified with yellow spots. This tree, when in fo- 

 liage and blossom is the most superb object that can possibly be 

 imagined, and not surpassed by any plant in the world. The 

 Burmese name of the tree is Thoka. Handfuls of flowers were 

 presented as offerings in the cave before the images of Buddha. 

 Along with this tree were found some trees of Mesua ferrea 

 and Jonesia Asbca. It is not a little remarkable that the priests 

 of these parts should have manifested so good a taste as to 

 select three sorts of trees as ornaments to their objects of wor- 

 ship which can hardly be surpassed in beauty. 



Noble Amherstia. Tree 30 to 40 feet. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Hardnickia, p. 436. 



CCLXXI. TAMARINDUS (rw)-, in Arabic is the name 

 of the date, Indus, Indian; Indian date). Lin. gen. no. iii. 

 Lam. ill. t. 25. D. C. prod. 2. p. 488. 



LIN. SYST. Monadeljihia, Ennedndria, and Decandria. Ca- 

 lyx tubular at the base, cleft ; the i! upper lobes are reflexed 

 and oblong, 2 lower ones also reflexed and joined together into 

 one broad, 2-nerved lobe, which is usually bidentate at the apex. 

 Petals 3, alternating with the 3 upper lobes of the calyx, the 2 

 lateral ones ovate, and the middle one cucullate. Stamens 9-10, 

 2 or 3 of which are longer than the others, monadelphous at 

 the base and antheriferous, the other 7 very short and sterile. 

 Style subulate. Legume pedicellate, acinaciform, compressed, 

 1 -celled, 3-6-seeded, the valves filled with pulp between the 

 epicarp and endocarp. Seeds ovate-quadrate, obliquely trun- 

 cate at the hylum. Cotyledons unequal at the base. Trees 

 with abruptly pinnate leaves, bearing many pairs of small leaflets, 

 and racemes of flowers. 



1 T. FNDICA (Lin. spec. 48. exclusive of the synonyme of 

 Locfl.) legumes elongated, 8-12-seeded, 6-times or more longer 

 than broad. J? . S. Native of the East Indies and the tropical 



parts of Africa. Woodv. med. bot. t. 166 Rheed. mal. 1. t. 



23. Rumph. amb. 2. t. 23. Blackw. herb. t. 221. D. C. 

 legum. mem. xi. t. 24. f. 113. germ. A large spreading tree, 

 with the leaves of a pale colour. Flowers with a straw-coloured 

 calyx and yellow petals, beautifully streaked with red, and purple 

 filaments and brown anthers. The timber of the Tamarind- 

 tree is heavy, firm, and hard ; sawed into boards it is converted 

 to many useful purposes in building. The pulp contained in 

 the pods is used both in food and medicine. The tamarinds 

 which are brought from the East Indies are darker and drier, but 

 contain more pulp ; being preserved without sugar they are fitter 

 to be put into medicines than those from the West Indies, which 

 are much redder, but being preserved with sugar are more 

 pleasant to the palate. The use of tamarinds was first learned 

 from the Arabians ; they contain a larger proportion of acid 

 with the saccharine matter than is usually found in acid fruits. 

 The epicarp of the pod is thin, and the acid pulp for which 

 they are esteemed is the sarcocarp. Tamarinds are preserved 

 in two ways ; commonly by throwing hot sugar from the boilers 

 on the ripe pulp ; but a better method is to put alternate layers 

 of tamarinds and powdered sugar in a stone jar. By this means 

 the tamarinds preserve their colour, and taste more agreeably. 

 Preserved tamarinds should be fresh and juicy, and should have 

 an agreeable acid taste. They should not have a musty smell ; 

 the seeds should not be soft and swollen ; and the blade of a 

 knife should not get a coating of copper by being immersed 

 among them. Tamarinds contain sugar, mucilage, citric acid, 

 supertartrate of potass, tartaric acid, and malic acid. In medi- 

 cine the pulp of tamarinds, taken in the quantity of from 2 to 3 

 drachms to an ounce or more, proves gently laxative and purga- 

 tive, and at the same time by its acidity quenches thirst and 

 allays immoderate heat. It increases the action of the sweet 

 purgatives cassia and manna, and weakens that of the resinous 

 cathartics. Salts, whose base is potass, form an improper addi- 

 tion to tamarinds, for they are decomposed, and the tartaric 

 acid of the fruit is precipitated in the form of supertartrate of 

 potass. 



East Indian Tamarind. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1633. Tree 

 40 to 60 feet. 



2 T. OCCIDENTALS (Gaertn. fruct. 2. p. 310. t. 146.) legumes 

 short, 1-1-seeded, hardly 3-times longer than broad. Jj . S. 

 Native of South America and the West India Islands. Jacq. 

 amer. p. 10. t. 179. f. 98. Blackw. herb. t. 201. Flowers with 

 a straw-coloured calyx and yellower petals streaked with red, 

 and purplish stamens. A large spreading tree. The pods of 

 the West Indian tamarind are shorter and redder than those of 



