Angiosp : Dicot : Polypet : Apocarpeae— Resales . VIII. 



The LEGUMINOSAE (429 12000) ccaiimonly approached through the 

 herbaceous types of Bean and Pea of N. Temp, cultivation, represent a vasf series 

 of polypetalous apocarpous phyla, in which the gynoecium is restricted to the limit 

 of one carpel only, of very typical megasporophyll nature, giving rise normally to 

 a ' pod '-fruit or legume. With this reservation the floral mechanism, based on 

 a limiting expression of pentamerous eucyclic construction, may be further com- 

 plicated in terms of the zygomorphy more familiar in the Papilionaceous type, but 

 may also present extended range of specialization and reduction in the more 

 distinctly tropical series of the Caesalpineae. On the other hand, the section 

 Mimoseae presents a similar gynoecial reduction in a phylum of very divergent 

 nature ; the three sections being in fact sufficiently distinct to be regardecf as 

 independent families, convergent in this limiting reduction of an archaic apocarpous 

 phase, and still holding iheir own in competition with syncarpous types, as in practice 

 a single ovary-construciion per flower has been attained. 



I. The Papilionaceae (308 gen.), following the general type of the Pea and 

 Bean in floral organization, include many fine forest-trees ; generic types may be 

 isolated by sjiecial features of the fruiiing-stage, and the characters of the foliage- 

 leaves. 



Butea frondosa, Dhak, a deciduous tree of open grass-lands, flowering 

 en masse on ihe baie stems. Leaves trifoliate, leaflets coriaceous, 4-6 in. broad: 

 Flowers orange-red or scarlet. 2 in. ; standard recurved, keel boldly arched, 

 stamens 9-1-1; pod 5 in. (4-8), flat, with one flat seed at base, and the distal part 

 acting as spinning-wing, 4 in. 



B. superha a gigantic liana-form of S. India ; stem to 8 in. diam., flowers larger, 

 bright orange. 



Dalbergia Sissoo, Shisham ; a large deciduous tree of Sub-Himalya, &c., 

 often gregarious on alluvial ground, much planted ; Flowers small, 7 mm., _vellowish 

 white, in short axillary panicles. Stamens 9, pod linear lanceolate, 2-2I' in., 1-3 

 seeded, light, flat, indehiscenl, wind-distributed and floating on flood-water. 



Cf D. la/i/olia, Rosewood, a large tree of deciduous forests : Larger pinnate 

 leaves, inflorescences, and pods, of same type. 



D. Melanoxylon of W. Africa, naturalized : D. Olivieri in Fng forest. 



Pterocarpus, also a valuable timber genus, with representative species, dis- 

 tinguished by broadly winged, one-seeded indehiscent fruits : — 



P. indniis, Burmese sea-shore Padauk ; pod flat and nearly circular, 1-2 in. 

 diam. ; 



P. (lalbirgioidcs, Andaman Red Wood, evergreen. 



P. macrocarptis, deciduous, Inland Padauk of Eng Forest ; pods 2A-3 in. diam. ; 



P. sanlalinus. Red Sanders, of Cuddapah, pods \\ in. : 



P. Marsupium, Bija Sal, a large tree (100 ft.) of deciduous forest : Kino. 

 Flowers, yellow, 18 mm., stamens 10, tube slii down in med. plane; Pods 1^-2 in., 

 1-2 seeded. 



Pongamia glabra of tidal coast-forest : flowers typical. Pea-like, 20 mm.; post, 

 stamen free at base only : pod xerophytic, massive leather)-, 2 in. long, and i broad, 

 1-2 seeded, germination hypogeal. 



Cf ^\%o:—Sophora japonka (Hon.) with 10 stamens, all free : Cfl////ca (Hort.) 

 with bladder-pods : Jndigofcra tinchria. Indigo, flowers small, in purple racemes ; 

 stamens 9-I-1, pod simple; a shrub often cult, as annual: Mucuna, pods 2-3 in., 

 with irritant bristles : Dcsnwdium gyrans, Telegraph Plant, herbaceous trifoliate 

 leaves, 2 lateral small pinnules show^ automatic movements, end-leaflet nyctitropic 

 only. Aeschynomene asptra, Sola, a water-plant, with stem 2-3 in. diam. and soft 

 pith-like white wood. Oiigeinia dalbergioides, cominon in Sal forest, and cull. : 



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