LEGUMINOSJE. 259 



flowers whitish with a purple tinge, shortly pedicelled, with a 

 pair of oblong scariose deciduous bracteas about the middle of 

 each pedicel. Calyx coloured, very minutely puberulous ; the 

 2 upper teeth coadunate; the 3 lower bluntish. Standard 

 rounded, emarginate, with a greenish tinge in the centre: wings 

 and keel coloured at the apex. Stamens 9 and 1. Ovary lin- 

 ear, compressed : stigma obtuse. Stipe of the legume twice or 

 thrice longer than the calyx ; wings 4, longitudinal, membrana- 

 ceous, with the margin undulated and irregularly lacerated. 



The Dogwood tree is most common in the plains and on the 

 lower hills of the limestone formation. The leaves are shed 

 early in the year ; and previous to the full development of the 

 new foliage, the flowers make their appearance. The wood is 

 much esteemed, being heavy, firm, and very lasting, not infe- 

 rior in point of durability to the English oak. The bark is em- 

 ployed, like the Surinam poison, to intoxicate 6sh. For this 

 purpose it is thrown, coarsely pounded, into the deep still part 

 of some stream, when the water soon acquires a reddish 

 shade, and in a few minutes the fish begin to rise to the sur- 

 face, where they float. It has been suggested that this remark- 

 able property might be turned to account in medicine, and Dr 

 Hamilton states that the tincture of the bark of the root, is an 

 intense narcotic ; and that he has employed it with great suc- 

 cess, introduced into the hollow of carious teeth, to relieve 

 toothach. A decoction of the bark, according to Barham, 

 cures the mange in dogs. 



2. Piscidia Carthaginensis. Mountain Dogwood. 



Leaflets broad-lanceolate, racemes subsimple axil- 

 lary and subterminal, legumes samaroideal scarcely 

 stipitate with the wings cohering in pairs. 



Piscidia foliis oblongo-ovatis pinnatis, siliquis compressis ob- 

 longis, Browne, 297. P. Carthaginensis, Lunan, Hort. Jam. 

 I. 270. Jacq. Am. 210? 



HAB. St Andrew's lower hills. Clarendon and Vere, Lu< 

 nan. 



FL. June. 



A tree, 15-20 feet, or more, in height : branches spreading, 

 towards their extremities compressed, angulose, glabrous. 

 Leaflets 3-jugate with an odd one 4-5 inches long, petiolulated, 

 broad-lanceolate, acuminate, acute at the base, thin, membra- 

 naceous, glabrous and light green above, minutely puberulous 

 and paler beneath. Stipules a green glandulose spot. Ra- 

 cemes axillary and subterminal, subsolitary, shorter than the 

 leaf; common peduncle angulose; branchlets short, about a 

 line in length, filiform, bearing 2-3 shortly pedicelled pale red- 

 dish-purpurascent flowers, with a pair of minute bracteas about 



