2652 



PITHECOLOBIUM 



pulpy, short, often dark-colored, ovate or orbicular, 

 compressed; funiculus filiform or with variously ex- 

 panded fleshy arils. About 125 species. The subgenus 

 Samanea of Bentham is of generic rank. See Samanea, 

 Vol. VI. It is distinguished from Pithecolobium by its 

 straight indehiscent septate pods, and from Entero- 

 lobium by its straight, more or less constricted instead 

 of short thick circinate or reniform pods. 



INDEX. 



latifolium, 11. 

 lobatum, 4. 

 mexicanum, 7. 

 pruinosum, 5. 

 scutiferum, 4. 



Sonorse, 10. 

 texense, 8. 

 tortum, 12. 

 Unguis-cati, 3. 



angulatum, 6. 

 brevifolium, 9. 

 dulce, 1. 

 flexicaule, 8. 

 guadalupense, 2. 



A. Stipules mostly spiny: Ivs. 1- or rarely irregularly 

 %-pinnate; Ifts. 1- or few-pinnate: pod spirally 

 twisted; seed with funiculus dilated at apex into 

 a fleshy aril. (Unguis-cati.) 



B. Heads with short peduncles. 



1. dulce, Benth. (Mimosa dulcis, Roxbg. Inga 

 dulcis, Willd.). GUAYMOCHIL, HUAMTJCHIL, or MANILLA 

 TAMARIND. Large stately trees: Ivs. and Ifts. 1-pinnate; 

 Ifts. obovate or oblong, obtuse, very oblique, about 1 in. 

 long: heads short-peduncled, the upper paniculate- 

 racemose; fls. white, finely pubescent; calyx 1 line, co- 

 rolla \Yi lines long, white: pod twisted, 5-6 in. long, 

 M-Min. broad. Mex., Philippines. Blanco Fl. Filip. 

 237. Beddome, Fl. Sylv. 188. Widely cult, in the 

 tropics as an ornamental. The pulpy aril of the seed is 

 eaten by the poorer classes as food. The bark yields a 

 yellow dye. It is said not to have fruited in S. Calif . 



BB. Heads with long slender peduncles. 

 c. Lfts. leathery: ovary pubescent. 



2. guadalupense, Chapm. (Inga guadalupensis, 

 Desv.). An unarmed shrub, 3-7 ft. high: Ifts. 4, ob- 

 liquely obovate, %-lH in. long, leathery, mucronate, 

 undulate, delicately nerved, shining above; petioles 

 shorter than the petiolules: heads yellow; peduncles 

 solitary on the axils, lJ^-3 in. long, exceeding the sub- 

 tending bracts; calyx campanulate, pubescent, trian- 

 gular lobes shorter than the tube; corolla pubescent, 

 stamens 3-4 times longer than the corolla: pods 2-4 

 in. long, contorted. Fla. and W. Indies. 



cc. Lfts. membranous: ovary glabrous. 



3. Unguis-cati, Benth. (Mimdsa Unguis-cati, Linn.). 

 CATS-CLAW. BLACK BEAD. BREAD-AND-CHEESES. UNA 

 DE GATO. An armed or unarmed shrub or small tree, 

 sometimes 25 ft. high: Ifts. 4, rather thin, obliquely 

 obovate, oval, rounded or mucronate at the apex, finely 

 reticulated; petioles slender, mostly larger than the 

 petiolules: heads in terminal axillary panicles; calyx 

 turbinate-campanulate, glabrous; corolla glabrous or 

 nearly so; stamens twice as long as the corolla: pods 

 3-4H in. long, contorted. Fla., W. Indies, and Trop. 

 Amer. Jacq. Hort. Schoenbr. 3:392. Vahl, Eclog. 

 3:25. The bark is astringent, fr. edible, and the seeds 

 medicinal. 



AA. Stipules inconspicuous: spineless: Ivs. 1- to several- 

 pinnate; Ifts. 1- to several-pinnate, large or many- 

 pinnate and small: heads small, paniculate: pod 

 spirally twisted; seed without apex of funiculus 

 dilated. (Clypearia.) 



B. Fls. mostly few, sessile, in heads. 



4. scutiferum, Benth. (Mimdsa scutifera, Blanco. 

 P. lobatum, Benth.). A small tree: Ivs. glabrous, 1-2- 

 pinnate; Ifts. 2-3-pinnate, ovate or oblong, acuminate, 

 3-6 in. long: fls. in heads, few (often 2-3) sessile, gla- 

 brous, or puberulent; calyx J^-l line long; corolla up 

 to 2 lines long: pod twice or irregularly twisted, often 

 nearly a foot long, 1-2 in. diam., often much constricted 

 between seeds; seeds large, compressed, orbicular. 

 Trop. Asia, Java, Borneo, Philippines. 



BB. Fls. many, in heads, distinctly pedicelled. 

 c. Branches terete: Ivs. large, few-pinnate. 



5. pruindsum, Benth. (Albizzia pruindsa, F. Muell.). 

 A slender tree, brownish puberulent or glabrous: Ivs. 

 1-2-pinnate; upper Ifts. 3-4-pinnate, broadly ovate or 

 subrhombic, largest acuminate, 2-3 in. long: fls. in 

 heads in the upper axils or in short corymbose terminal 

 panicles, pedicellate, glabrous; calyx Yz line long; 

 corolla 2 lines long: pod spirally twisted or long-con- 

 torted, glabrous, deeply constricted, about ^in. broad. 

 E. Austral. Intro, in 1901. 



cc. Branches angular: Ivs. several- to many-pinnate. 



6. angulatum, Benth. (Jnga angulata, Graham. Mi- 

 mdsa heterophylla, Roxbg.). An ornamental small 

 tree: branches and petioles at first brownish, puberu- 

 lent, becoming glabrous: Ivs. 2-4-pinnate; upper Ifts. 

 4-8-pinnate, oblique, ovate-oblong, acuminate, 3-5 in. 

 long, lower shorter, ovate-rhombic: panicle terminal; 

 fls. few, in heads, pedicellate, tomentulose ; calyx less 

 than a line long; corolla about 3 lines long: pod circu- 

 lar or elongated, contorted, about Yr-Y&n- broad. 

 Trop. Asia, Borneo, Philippines. 



AAA. Stipules present: shrubs (or rarely trees): Ivs. 1- to 

 several-pinnate; Ifts. small or rarely 1 in. long. 

 (Ortholobium.) 



B. Spines straight. 



c. Li's. 2-6-pinnate. 



D. Lfts. 5-10-pinnate. 



7. mexicanum, Rose. CHINO. A small tree, 15^-20 

 ft. high, 1 ft. diam.: Ivs. with straight stipular spines 

 (sometimes wanting) 1 line long, 2-5-pinnate; Ifts. 5- 

 10-pinnate, oblong, 2-4 lines long, midrib a little excen- 

 tric, puberulent, as are also the rachis and branches: 

 infl. paniculate; fls. in heads, pedicellate; pedicels 1-2 

 lines long; calyx Yi. line long; corolla \Yi lines long; 

 petals spreading or reflexed; stamens long, numerous: 

 pods oblong, somewhat constricted, 3^4 in. long, 1 in. 

 broad, straight, its valves not elastic nor revolute; 

 seeds 2, oval, 2-4 lines long. Mex. It has the habit 

 of mesquit and is valued for its wood. Rare, and 

 rapidly becoming exterminated. 



DD. Lfts. S-6-pinnate. 



8. flexicaule, Coult. (P. texense, Coult. Acacia flexi- 

 caulis, Benth.). EBONY. A shrub or small tree, 20-30 

 ft. high: trunk 2-3 ft. diam., branching 8-10 ft. from 

 ground, with short stout stipular spines: Ivs. 4-6- 



G innate, long-petiolate ; petioles slender, puberulent; 

 ts. 3-6-pinnate, lower pair shortest, ovate-oblong, 

 rounded at apex, glabrous, membranaceous or sub- 

 coriaceous, dark green, shining on the upper surface, 

 paler below, J4~H m . l n g n short broad petiolules: 

 fls. in cylindrical dense or interrupted spikes, \Yi in. 

 long on stout pubescent peduncles, fascicled in axils 

 of Ivs. of preceding year, sessile, yellow or creamy, 

 fragrant; stamens exserted; corolla 4-5 times longer 

 than calyx, puberulent; ovary glabrous, sessile: pod 

 flattened, turgid, straight or falcate, sessile, oblique at 

 base, rounded and narrowed to a short point at apex, 

 4-6 in. long, 1-1 % in. broad, dehiscent, thick, woody; 

 seed imbedded in a thick pitchy pulp, suspended 

 on a short straight funiculus, J^in. long, ^|in. broad, 

 irregularly obovate, bright reddish brown, sides 

 faintly depressed. Texas to Low. Calif. S.S. 3 : 147. 

 The wood is heavy, hard, compact, close-grained, 

 dark rich reddish brown tinged with purple, with 

 clear bright yellow sapwood. Almost indestructible 

 in contact with the ground and much used for fence- 

 posts. The seeds are palatable and nutritious if boiled 

 when green. They are roasted when ripe by the Mexi- 

 cans who use the thick seed-coat as a substitute for 

 coffee. A slow grower and not of sufficient size for 

 timber. 



