172 



CAESALPINIACEAE. 



2. Cassia bicapsularis L. Christ- 

 mas Bush. (Fig. 192.) Shrubby, 4°- 

 10° Mgh, glabrous. Leaflets 4-8, obo- 

 vate to oval, obtuse and rounded at the 

 apex, 5"-10" long, very short-stalked; 

 gland oblong to subglobose, short-stipi- 

 tate, borne above the lower pair of 

 leaflets; racemes few-flowered, axillary, 

 scarcely longer than the leaves; flowers 

 about 10" wide; pods linear-cylindric, 

 3'-5' long, about 5" thick, blunt or short- 

 pointed. 



Frequent along roadsides and in hedges. 

 Naturalized from tropical America. Flow- 

 ers from spring until winter. It is com- 

 monly planted for ornament, and grows 

 luxuriantly. 



3. Cassia occidentalis L. Cof- 

 fee Senna. (Fig. 193.) A glabrous 

 annual herb, 3°-6° high. Stipules 

 caducous; gland round, borne near 

 the base of the petiole; leaflets 8- 

 12, rounded at the base, l'-2' long, 

 5"-12" wide; flowers 7"-10" broad, 

 in short axillary racemes; stamens 

 10, the upper 3 imperfect ; calyx-lobes 

 oblong, obtuse; pod linear, glabrous, 

 4-6' long, about 3" wide, somewhat 

 curved, its margins thickened. 



Occasional in cultivated grounds, 

 St. Georges. Naturalized. Native of 

 the southern United States and trop- 

 ical America. Flowers in autumn. 



Cassia bacillaris L., Climbing Cassia, West Indian, a half-climbing 

 shrub, the leaves with only two pairs of broad leaflets, the pod eylindric, the 

 large panicled flowers bright yellow, is occasionally cultivated for ornament. 



Cassia alata L., Winged Cassia, of the Old and New World tropics, a 

 shrub with very large leaves of 12-20 oblong leaflets, the pod 4-winged, is men- 

 tioned by Eeade as planted. 



Cassia glauca Lam., West Indian Ash, is recorded by Lefroy as grown 

 at Somerville and Par-la-Ville, but did not exist at either place in 1914; it is 

 also mentioned by Jones, by Eeade, and by Verrill. It is a tree with pinnate 

 leaves with 4-6 pairs of oval leaflets glaucous beneath, the large flowers 

 yellow, the pod linear. 



Cassia Fistula L., Pudding Pipe Tree, East Indian, a tree 50° high or 

 higher, with large pinnate leaves of 8-12 ovate-lanceolate leaflets 6'-8-long, 

 drooping racemes of golden yellow flowers li'-2' wide, and round smooth black 

 pods often 2° long, is occasionally planted for shade and ornament. 



