ORDEAL BEAN OF CALABAR. 313 



<: All I can say," he observes, " is that the seed, like others of its isea. 

 natural order, contains much inert starch and legumin, and T3 

 per cent, of fixed oil, also probajbly inert ; that its active pro- 

 perties may be concentrated in an alcoholic extract, which 

 constitutes 2 '7 per cent, of the seed ; and that this extract does 

 not yield a vegetable alkaloid by the more simple of the ordinary 

 methods of analysis." l 



Some of the Ordeal Beans in Dr. Chiistison's possession Germination 

 having been placed in earth, germinated in the Botanic Garden f Or<ieal 



JJC&11S. 



of Edinburgh, and in the garden of Professor Syme, producing 

 vigorous plants ; but as these did not flower, no determination 

 of the genus to which the plant belonged could be made. At 

 length, about the year 1859, the Rev. W. C. Thomson, of Old 

 Calabar, a good botanical observer, was so fortunate as to obtain 

 after many trials complete and excellent specimens of the plant, 

 some of which, preserved in fluid, were communicated to Mr. 

 xindrew Murray and Professor Balfour. Their examination 

 devolved chiefly on the latter gentleman, who on the 16th 

 January, 1860, read before the Koyal Society of Edinburgh a 

 Description of the Plant which Produces the Ordeal Bean of Plant prod 

 Calabar which, illustrated by two plates, was subsequently pub- ing 

 lislied in the Society's Transactions? 



The Ordeal Bean belongs to the natural order Leguminosce, the 

 sub-order Papilionacece and tribe Phaseolecc ; but subordinate to 

 this, its characters have been considered sufficiently peculiar to 

 warrant the formation of a special genus for its reception. This 

 has accordingly been done, the new genus receiving from Dr. 

 Balfour the name of Physostigma? and the one species which it 



i ,-( /> rencnosinii 



contains that 01 venenosum. 



1 Pharm. Journ., vol. xiv. (1855), p. 472. 



2 Vol. xxii. p. 305. 



3 From <pv<rdfiv to inflate, and or/y/^a. The genus is thus defined. 

 Calyx campanulatus, apice quadrifidus, laciniis brevibus, lacinia suprema 

 bifida. Corolla crescentiformis, papilionacea ; vexillum recurvum, apice 

 bilobatum, basi angustatum, margine utroque auriculatum, membrana 

 inflexa auctum, medio longitudinaliter bicallosum ; alse obovato-oblongse, 

 liberae, supra carinam conniventes, versus basin appendiculata?. Discus 

 vaginifer. Ovarium stipitatum, 2-3-ovulatum. Stylus cum carina tortus, 

 infra stigma subtus barbatus ; stigma obtusum, cucullo cavo oblique tectum. 

 Legumen dehiscens, oligospermum, elliptico-oblongum, subcompressum, extus 



