138 



LEGUMINOSjE. CCLXXII. CASSIA. 



the East Indian tamarind, and arc not so good. In many parts 

 of America, particularly in Curacoa, the natives eat abundance 

 of the pulp raw without any inconvenience, except that of gently 

 relaxing the body. In Martinico they eat even the unripe fruit. 

 In the West Indies it is frequently made an ingredient in punch. 



U'cxt Indian Tamarind. Fl. Feb. Clt. 1033. Tr. 30 to 50 ft. 



Cult. Loam and peat is a good mixture to grow the species 

 of tamarind in. Cuttings will root if planted in a pot of sand, 

 with a hand-glass placed over them, in heat ; but as seeds are 

 annually received both from the East and West Indies, this is 

 an unnecessary mode of increasing the plants. The seeds should 

 be raised on a hot-bed, and the plants put into separate pots, as 

 soon as they are about 2 or 3 inches high. 



CCLXXII. CA'SSIA (naaaia, cassia, of Dioscorides. Ac- 

 cording to Olaus Celsus, this name is to be traced to the Hebrew 

 ketzioth, rendered by Kaatav in the Septuagint, and Latinized by 

 cassia). Lin. gen. 514. Lam. ill. t. 332. Collad. mon. 1816. 

 in 4to. D. C. prod. 2. p. 489. 



LIN. SYST. Decdndrla, Monogynia. Calyx of 5 sepals, 

 which are hardly connected together at the base (f. 57. .) and 

 more or less unequal. Petals 5, unequal. Stamens 10, free, 

 unequal (f. 57. c. rf.), 3 lower ones the longest, the 4 middle 

 ones short and straight, the 3 superior ones (f. 57. </.), bear- 

 ing abortive difformed anthers. Fertile anthers opening by 

 2 pores at the apex (f. 57. f.). Ovary stipitate, usually arched. 

 Legume dehiscent, compressed, transversely many-celled inside ; 

 cells 1 -seeded. Shrubs or herbs, with abruptly pinnate leaves 

 and opposite leaflets. The petioles are usually glandular. The 

 flowers of all are yellow. 



SECT. I. HERPE'TICA (Ainboyna name of C. alata, var. ft.). 

 D. C. in Collad. mon. p 91. prod. 2. p. 492. Calyx of 5 bluntish 

 sepals. Anthers opening by 2 pores at the apex. Legumes flat, 

 membranous, dehiscent, furnished with an acute foliaceous wing 

 on the back, and divided internally into many cells by transverse 

 dissepiments; cells rather pulpy inside. Seeds horizontal, com- 

 pressed, nearly obcordate. Perennial herbs, furnished with a 

 large concave bractea under each flower. 



1 C. ALA'TA (Lin. spec. 541.) leaves with 8-12 pairs of obo- 

 vate-oblong, glabrous leaflets, outer ones the largest, lower ones 

 approximating to the axils ; petioles glandless. If.. S. Native 

 of South America and the West India Islands. Sloan, hist. t. 

 175. f. 1. C. Herpetica, Jacq. obs. 2. t. 45. f. 2. Flowers 

 large, yellow. The leaves are finely pubescent on the under 

 surface, according to H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 347. 

 This is therefore a different plant. 



Var. ft, Rumphiana (D. C. prod. 2. p. 492.) racemes short, 

 few-flowered. If.. S. Native of Java. Herpetica, Rumpli. 

 amb. 7. t. 18. C. alata, Burm. fl. ind. 96. Perhaps a proper 

 species. 



Winged-podded Cassia. Clt. 1731. PI. 6 feet. 



2 C. BRACTEA'TA (Lin. fil. suppl. 232.) leaves with 10 pairs 

 of oblong, obtuse leaflets, which are soft and hoary beneath ; 

 petioles glandless. 1/.S. Native of Surinam. Flowers yellow. 

 Leaves more than a foot long. 



Bractettte-Roviered Cassia. Fl. April, Dec. Cl. 1822. PI. 6 ft. 



SECT. If. SE'NNA (Sienna or Sccna mcclci, the Arabic name 

 for senna). Tourn. inst. t. 390. Gaertn. fruct. 146. D. C. in 

 Collad. mon. 92. prod. 2. p. 492. Sepals obtuse. Anthers opening 

 by 2 pores at the apex. Legumes membranous, broad, flat, and 

 compressed, hardly dehiscent, torose at the seeds, divided in- 

 ternally into many cells by transverse dissepiments ; cells hardly 

 pulpy inside. Seeds vertical, compressed, nearly obcordate, 

 shorter than the breadth of the legume, but the length of the 

 funicle. 



3 C. OBOVA TA (Collad. mon. p. 92.) leaves with 6-7 pairs of 

 obovate, obtuse leaflets ; petioles gkuulk'ss ; legumes flat, com- 

 pressed, arched, tumid, and a little crested in the middle. ^ S. 

 but Q. in the gardens. Native of Egypt, Senegal, and Rome ; 

 cultivated in the south of Europe and the West Indies for its 

 U-aves, which are one kind of Senna. C. Senna, Lam. ill. t. 

 332. f. 2. a. b. d. and f. 3. l>. f. g. Jacq. fil. eel. 1. t. 87. 

 Flowers yellow. This is the Italian officinal senna. 



Otoua/e-leafletted or Italian Senna. Fl. July, Au", Clt. 

 1640. PI. 1 to 2 fei 



4 C. LANCEOLA'TA (Forsk. aegypt. p. 85.) leaves with 4-5 

 pairs of oval-lanceolate, acute leaflets ; petiole glandular ; le- 

 gumes flat, compressed, straightish, tumid in the middle. Pj . S. 

 Native of Upper Egypt. Lam. ill. t. 332. f. 2. c. and f. 3. >i. 

 Cassia orientalis, Pers. ench. 1. p. 457. C. acutifolia, Delil. 

 ill. segyp. 75. t. 27. f. 1. Flowers yellow. This is the officinal 

 Alexandrian senna. 



Senna is the leaves of C. lanceolata and C. obovala, both 

 natives of Egypt ; they are mixed with the pods. Those of 

 the former are most esteemed ; they are of a lively yellowish 

 green colour, while those of the latter are green without any 

 yellowish cast. With the true senna are mixed the leaves of 

 another plai\t,Cyanchium A'rqitel. Rouillion says that at Cairo 

 the traders mix these in the proportion of 500 of C. lanceolata 

 and 300 of C. obovata and 200 of Cyndnchium A'rqitel. But the 

 greater part of the senna now used in this country is of a different 

 kind. It is called East Indian. In America they now use the leaves 

 of C. Marylandua. In medicine senna is a very useful cathartic, 

 operating mildly and yet effectually ; and if judiciously dosed 

 and managed, rarely occasioning the bad consequences which 

 too frequently follow the exhibition of the stronger purges. Its 

 nauseous flavour, and its being apt to gripe, are the only incon- 

 veniences complained of in this drug. These are best obviated 

 by adding some aromatic substance to the senna, as cardamon, 

 ginger, cinnamon, Sec., and by facilitating its operating by drink- 

 ing plentifully of any mild diluent. Senna may be given in 

 substance to the extent of half a drachm night and morning. It 

 is more conveniently given in the form of infusion, which is 

 generally made by pouring 6 ounces of boiling water upon from 2 

 to 6 drachms of senna leaves in a teapot, and letting it stand about 

 an hour. Senna ought never to be used in decoction, Green 

 says, because it becomes perfectly inert by the total dissipation 

 of the nauseous and volatile principle, on which its purgative 

 effects depend. The tincture, on account of the menstruum, 

 cannot be given in doses large enough to have any effect. 



Lanceolate-\enfielted or Alexandrian Senna. Fl. July, Aug. 

 Clt. ? Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



5 C. LIGUSTRINOIDES (Schranck, in akad. munch. 6. p. 179.) 

 leaves with 5 pairs of glabrous, lanceolate leaflets, the lower 

 ones the smallest ; petioles glandless ? ; flowers racemose ; le- 

 gumes much compressed, glabrous, rounded at the apex. ^ S. 

 Native of Arabia. Flowers yellow. This kind of senna is con- 

 fused with the Alexandrian senna in the shops. 



Privet-like or Arabian Senna. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1800. 

 Shrub 1 foot. 



6 C. PISTACIJEFOLIA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 349.) leaves with 6 pairs of oblong leaflets, which are retuse at 

 the apex and glabrous above but pubescent beneath ; petioles 

 glandless ; flowers racemose ; legumes transversely veined, f? . 

 S. Native of South America, between Popayan and Meneses. 

 Flowers yellow. 



Pistachio-leaved Senna. Tree 24 feet. 



7 C. STROBILA'CEA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. p. 

 347.) leaves with 11-12 pairs of oblong, emarginate leaflets, 

 which are rather pilose above, but pubescent beneath ; petioles 

 glandless ; racemes axillary ; bracteas large ; legumes com- 



