Butea.] XXXI. LEGUMIXOSiE. 143 



used in the Holi festival ; they are also used medicinally. The seeds are 

 given as purgative and anthelmintic, mostly in veterinary practice. 



2. B. superba, Eoxb. Cor. PL t. 22 ; Fl. Ind. iii. 247. 



A gigantic climber, stems as thick as a man's leg. Leaflets membranous, 

 acuminate, the terminal 6-15 in. long, lateral oblique, smaller. Flowers 

 larger than those of B. frondosa, of a gorgeous orange-colour, on pedicels 

 3 times the length of calyx, in lax paniculate racemes. 



Forests of Burma, Bengal, Oudh, the Circars, the northern Konkan, and the 

 Dehra Doon. Fl. March. Yields kino like the preceding species. 



12. SPATHOLOBUS, Hasskarl. 



Large climbers, with trifoliolate leaves ; leaflets stipellate, the 2 lateral 

 opposite. Flowers small, white, purple, or pink, numerous, fasciculate 

 on the branches of large compound panicles, with small, narrow bracts 

 and bractlets. Calyx 4-dentate, the 2 upper teeth connate in 1. Stan- 

 dard broad-ovate or orbicular, obtuse, without appendages, longer than 

 keel ; wings obliquely oblong, free ; keel obtuse, nearly straight, shorter 

 than wings. Stamens, ovary, and legume like Butea. 



1. S. Roxburghii, Benth. Syn. Butea ptarviftora, Eoxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 

 248 ; W. & A. Prodr. 261 ; Wight Ic. t. 210. Vern. Mula, mania, 



Inflorescence, calyx, petioles, and under side of leaflets pubescent. Leaf- 

 lets obovate, acuminate, longer than broad, 6-8 in. long; lateral nerves 6-8, 

 arcuate, anastomosing by intramarginal veins. Flowers whitish, in fas- 

 cicles of 3, in large terminal and lateral panicles, pedicels as long as calyx. 

 Teeth of calyx nearly as long as tube. Standard twice the length of calyx, 

 emarginate. Legumes 4-5 in. long, 1 in. broad, on a distinct pedicel, 1 in. 

 long, seed part tomentose. 



A powerful climber, common in the forests of Burma, Bengal, Oudh, and the 

 Sub-Himalayan forests as far as the Jumna river. Also in the Circars and the 

 southern part of the Konkan. One of the principal climbers in the Oudh Sal 

 forests. Fl. Dec, Jan. ; fr. April. 



Several large and remarkable forest- weeds belong to the genus Flemingia, 

 which is generally classed under Phaseolece : 1. F. Chappar, Ham., and 2. F. 

 strobilifera, Brown {Hedysarum strobiliferum, Eoxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 350), with 

 simple leaves, those of the former long-petiolate, cordate, those of the latter 

 ovate, on short petioles. Both species have spikes with large membranous in- 

 flated bracts, enclosing the flowers. F. strobilifera is common throughout 

 India, and often attains 8 ft. The leaves are used for thatching. F. fruticulosa, 

 Wall., is a suffruticose variety of strobilifera in the North- West Himalaya. F. 

 Chappar is found in Burma, Bengal, Gorakhpur, and the sub-Himalayan tract 

 to the Jumna. Three other species have trifoliolate leaves, viz., 3. F. lineata, 

 Eoxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 341, common nearly throughout India, flowers in paniculate 

 racemes, with small bracts ; 4. F. congesta, Eoxb. Fl. Ind. 341, Wight Ic. t. 

 390, which is closely allied to, if not synonymous with, F. semialata, Eoxb., 

 Wight Ic. t. 326, common nearly throughout India, flowers in dense axillary 

 bracteate spikes; and 5. F. invohccrata, Benth. in PL Junghuhn. 246, sub- 



