M IM 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



M I M 



131 



leaves bipinnate ; partial ones five-paired, proper ones many- 

 paired ; stem muricated. Native of America. 



47. Mimosa Juliflora. Spines stipulary, in pairs; leaves 

 bipinnate, bijugous, distinguished by a gland ; spikes pen- 

 dulous ; legumes compressed. This shrub rises frequently 

 to the height of fifteen feet; is of a spreading growth, and 

 furnished with oblong flower-spikes, and very long legumes. 

 It has been introduced into Jamaica from the Continent; 

 and thrives very luxuriantly in many parts of the low lands. 



48. Mimosa Peregrina. Unarmed; leaves bipinnate, par- 

 tial ones sixteen-paired ; pinnas forty-paired^ with a petiolar 

 gland at the base. Native of America. 



49. Mimosa Glauca ; Glaucous Mimosa. Unarmed : leaves 

 bipinnate, partial ones six-paired ; pinnas very many, with a 

 gland among the lowest. Flowers white, apetalous, ten-sla- 

 mmed. Native of La Vera Cruz. The Acacias are propa- 

 gated by sowing their seeds on a hot-bed, in the spring of 

 the year ; which will, in a short time, appear above ground, 

 and in about five or six weeks afterwards be fit to transplant; 

 when a fresh hot-bed is to be prepared for them, which 

 should be pretty warm. The next thing to be provided, is a 

 quantity of small halfpenny pots, which are to be filled with 

 fresh, light, sandy earth; these should be plunged into the 

 hot-bed, but not into dung ; for if these beds be made with 

 warm horse-dung, they ought to be covered with earth as 

 deep as the pots, the bottoms of which should rest upon the 

 dung ; for otherwise, the roots of the plants may suffer by 

 too much heat: but beds of tanner's earth seldom heat so 

 violently. As soon as the earth in the pots is warm, which 

 will be in two or three days, take up the young plants care- 

 fully out of the first hot-bed, setting four or five of them into 

 each of these pots ; giving them a gentle watering, to settle 

 the earth to their roots ; and screening them with mats over 

 the glasses, from the heat of the sun, until they have taken 

 root; after which, air must be admitted, by raising the glasses 

 in proportion to the heat of the weather, or to the vigour of 

 the plants. The horned Acacias are very often destitute of 

 leaves for two or three months, appearing to have no life ; 

 but they will put out fresh leaves towards autumn, which is 

 commonly the season when they are most vigorous. They 

 should be exposed in the summer season for about two months, 

 to clear them from insects, which greatly infest them, in a 

 place defended from strong winds ; and in the winter, they 

 require a moderate degree of warmth. There are several of 

 them that are very tender while young, but after two or three 

 vears' growth become hardy enough to bear the open air in 

 summer : though hardly any of them will live through the 

 winter in a green-house, unless they have some warmth in 

 very cold weather. 



50. Mimosa Pterocarpa; Winy-fruited Mimosa. Unarmed: 

 leaves bipinnate, many-paired, a petiolar gland between the 

 two outmost ; spikes axillary ; legumes winged. Native of 

 the Isle of France. See the preceding species. 



51. Mimosa Grandirlora ; Great-flowered Mimosa. Un- 

 armed ; leaves abruptly bipinnate, many-paired ; pinnules 

 many-paired; leaflets very distinct; raceme compound, ter- 

 minating. Native of the Easf Indies. See the forty-ninth 

 species. 



52. Mimosa Houston! ; Houston's Mimosa. Unarmed : 

 leaves bipinnate, abrupt, commonly six-paired ; pinnules many- 

 paired ; leaflets somewhat confluent ; raceme compound, ter- 

 minating. This is one of the most beautiful species of this 

 genus : the petals being large, and of a fine purple colour ; 

 with their stamina stretched out to a considerable distance 

 beyond the petals ; the flowers make a charming appearance, 

 when the ti ee is covered with them ; and when the pods, which 



vox. H. 77. 



are ferruginous, are ripe, and hanging plentifully from every 

 bough, the appearance is very pleasing from a small distance. 

 Native of La Vera Cruz. See the forty-ninth species. 



53. Mimosa Cinerea ; Ash-coloured Mimosa. Spines soli- 

 tary ; leaver bipinnate : flowers in spikes. Stem branched, 

 even. Native of the East Indies. 



54. Mimosa Cornigera; Horned Mimosa or Cuckold Tree. 

 Spines stipularyf connate, divaricating, compressed, awl- 

 shaped at the tip ; leaves bipinnate ; leaflets from twelve to 

 twenty paired ; spikes axillary, elongated. This tree seldom 

 exceeds twelve feet in height : it is singular for its writhed 

 horn-like spines, which resemble the horns of oxen ; they are 

 brown, shining, hollow, and some of them more than five 

 inches in Length : they are all over the tree, and when the pods 

 are ripe, and the leaves are fallen, they have a singular ap- 

 pearance. It grows every where in the woods about Cartha- 

 gena, in New Spain. See the forty-ninth species. 



55. Mimosa Catechu; Catechu Tree. Spines stipulary; 

 leaves bipinnate, many-paired ; glands of the partial ones 

 single; spikes axillary, in pairs or threes, peduncled. This 

 is a small ; tree, about twelve feet high; abounds in the 

 mountains of Hindoostan, where it is a native. An Indian 

 drug, long known by the name of Terra Japonica, and now 

 more properly called Cate-chu, (from cats a tree, and chu 

 juice,) is ascertained to be the produce of this tree. This 

 extract, in its purest state, is a dry pulverable substance, 

 outwardly reddish, inwardly shining dark brown, tinged with 

 a reddish hue : to the taste, it discovers considerable astring- 

 gency, succeeded by some sweetness. It dissolves wholly 

 in water, except the impurities, which are usually sandy, and 

 amount to about one-eighth of the mass. Rectified spirits 

 dissolves about seven-eighths, into a deep red liquor. It may 

 be usefully employed as an astringent, especially in alvine 

 fluxes; also in uterine profluvia; in debility of the viscera, 

 in general ; and catarrhal affections. It is the basis of se- 

 veral formulae ; but the best way of taking it, is by an infu- 

 sion in warm water, with cinnamon or cassia. 



56. Mimosa Horrida ; Horrid Mimosa. Spines stipulary, 

 the length of the leaves ; leaves bipinnate, partial ones six- 

 paired, branches even. Branches angular and smooth, with 

 a brown bark. Native of Both Indies and Arabia. 



57. Mimosa Fera ; Fierce Mimosa. Spines branched ; 

 leaves pinnate ; flowers in spikes. This is a large tree, with 

 spreading branches. Native of China and Cochin-china; 

 where it is planted for hedges, which are impenetrable by 

 animals. 



58. Mimosa Eburnea; Ivory-thorned Mimosa. Spines 

 stipulary, connate, divaricating, round, awl-shaped ; leaves ' 

 bipinnate ; leaflets six-paired ; spikes globular, peduncled, 

 axillary, several. This small tree is remarkable for its tre- 

 mendous spines, two inches long, at the ends of the branches. 

 Native of the East Indies. 



59. Mimosa Latronum ; Rogues' Mimosa. Spines stipu- 

 lary, connate, divaricating, round, awl-shaped; leaves bipin- 

 nate ; leaflets four-paired ; spikes elongated, peduncled, 

 axillary, commonly in pairs. This is a very thorny branch- 

 ing depressed shrub. Native of the East Indies. These 

 thorny Mimosas, with their interwoven branches, and terri- 

 ble spines, form impenetrable thickets in the mountainous 

 parts of India, and are the secure retreat of smaller animals, 

 birds, and rogues; from whom this species has obtained 

 its name. 



60. Mimosa Filicioides ; Fern-like Mimosa. Unarmed : 

 leaves bipinnate, partial ones six-paired ; leaflets very nu- 

 merous, very small, ciliate, without glands. Stem shrubby, 

 branched, three feet high. Native of Mexico. 



2L 



