442 Leguminos^e. 



Flowers appearing before or with the leaves in short lateral fascicles, on the growth of 

 previous seasons or even the trunk ; calyx oblique-campanulate, 5-toothed : corolla somewhat 

 papilionaceous with 5 rose-colored unguiculate petals, those forming the keel the largest and 

 not united, the standard smaller than the wings and inclosed by them in the bud ; stamens 10, 

 distinct, declined, with filaments enlarged and pilose at base ; "anthers alike, oblong, versatile ; 

 ovary with short stipe ; style filiform with capitate stigma : ovules numerous, in 2 ranks, 

 attached to the dorsal suture. Fruit a linear oblong flat pod. acute at both ends, margined 

 along the upper suture, reddish purple and 2-valved at maturity, with thin reticulate valves ; 

 seeds oblong, compressed, with reddish brown crustaceous testa, straight embryo and scant 

 horny albumen. 



The name is the ancient Greek name of the Old World Judas-tree. 

 For species see pp. 28-'/-2S5. 



THE COFFEE-TREE. Gexus GYMNOCLADUS Lam. 



Trees, with stout branchlets and large pith, of two species, one of eastern North America 

 and the other of southern and southwestern China. 



Leaves deciduous, bipinnate. with single leaflets in place of the one or two pairs of 

 lowermost pinnae : stipules caducous : branchlets thick with large pith and 2 small impressed 

 buds in each axil. Floicers regular, dioecious or polygamous, in terminal racemes, greenish 

 white ; calyx elongated, tubular, 10-ribbed, with .5 narrow nearly equal acute lobes : petals 

 4-5. oblong, equal, pubescent, rather longer than the calyx lobes, spreading ; stamens 10 and 

 inserted with the petals on the margin of the disk bearing the calyx tube, shorter than the 

 petals, distinct, with pubescent filaments alternately of different lengths and uniform introrse 

 longitudinally dehiscent anthers ; pistil sessile with short style and oblique 2-lobed stigma, 

 rudimentary or wanting in the staminate flowers; ovules numerous. Fruit a large thick 

 oblong subfalcate 2-valved coriaceous pod, tardily dehiscent and containing several seeds 

 with pulp between : seeds suborbicular, flattened, with long funicles, thick horny testa, thick 

 orange-colored cotyledons and thin horny albumen. 



The name is from two Greek words meaning naked iranch. 

 For species see pp. 286-287. 



THE HONEY LOCUSTS. Genus GLEDITSIA L. 



Trees of about eight or ten species of eastern United States, Asia, Japan and tropical 

 Africa. Of these three are native of North America, one limited to a small region in Texas, 

 another inhabiting mainly the lower Mississippi basin and southeastern states, and the third 

 is now distributed over most of the Atlantic states. 



Leaves evenly pinnate or twice pinnate or with some of the pinnae replaced by simple 

 leaflets often fascicled, deciduous ; leaflets subsessile and irregularly crenulate ; stipules small, 

 caducous. Flowers regular, polygamous, small, green or white, in axillary or lateral some- 

 times fascicled spike-like racemes with minute caducous bracts ; calyx campanulate with 

 3-5 nearl.v equal lobes : petals equal and of same number as the calyx lobes ; stamens 0-10. 

 inserted with the petals on the edge of the disk, distinct, erect, with free filaments and 

 uniform anthers : ovary nearly sessile ; style short with terminal dilated stigma ; ovules 2 or 

 many. Fruit a flat pod. long-linear, many-seeded and indehiscent. or short-ovate and dehiscent ; 

 seeds suborbicular or oblong, flattened, attached by long funicles ; embryo surrounded with 

 horny albumen. 



The generic name (which is sometimes spelled Gleditschia) is in honor of Prof. J. G. 

 Gleditsch, a German botanist of the ISth century. 



KF.Y TO THE SPECIES. 



Pods linear, many-seeded and somewhat twisted or coiled G. triacanthos. 



Pods oblique, oval, mostly 1-seeded G. aquatica. 



For species see pp. 288-29}. 



THE YELLOW-WOOD. Gexus CLADRASTIS Raf. 



Trees of a single species of limited natural distribution in the Atlantic states, but widely 



planted for ornamental purposes. They have yellowish heart-wood, somewhat watery juice 



and smooth bark. Another tree (Maackia Amitrensis Rupr.). of eastern Asia and Japan, is 



referred by some writers to this genus, but by others is considered to be generically distinct. 



Leaves deciduous, odd-pinnate, with stout terete petioles enlarged at base and few large 

 entire short-stalked leaflets : buds small, naked superposed and formed within the base of 

 the petiole. Floicers white, papilionaceous, in terminal panicles or racemes: calyx narrow- 

 campanulate. 5-toothed : petals with suborbicular reflexed standard and those of the keel 

 incurved and distinct : stamens 10. distinct, with slender filaments and uniform versatile 

 anthers; ovary subsessile. linear and tipped with slender incurved style with terminal stigma; 



