330 CALYCIFLOR-fc. 



HAB. Jamaica? 



FL. ? 



' 4. Csesalpinia coriaria. Divi-divi, or Libi-dibi. 



Unarmed glabrous, pinnae 6-7-paired, leaflets 15- 

 25-paired linear obtuse, racemes panicled, pedicels 

 shorter than the flower, legume laterally incurved 

 spongy submultilocular. 



Willd. Spec. II. 532. Poinciana Coriaria, Jacq. Am. 123. 

 t. 175. f. 36. C. coriaria, Kunth, Mim. t. 45. 



HAB. The Spanish- Town road, near the 4 mile stone. 

 Near Halfway Tree Court-House. 



FL. May and September, after rains. 



A tree, 20-30 feet in height : branches spreading, at their 

 extremities terete, glabrous. Leaves at the ends of the short 

 branchlets, alternate, bipinnate ; pinnae 6-7-paired with an odd 

 one : leaflets 20 24-paired, one-third of an inch in length, 

 lineari-oblong, rounded at the apex, unequally cordate at the 

 base, with a row of glandulose dots within the margin, entire, 

 glabrous : common petiole subterete, as also the partial ones 

 minutely puberulous. Stipules minute, deciduous. Raceme 

 a panicled thyrse, axillary, and terminal, shorter than the leaf, 

 composed of a number of pedicelled fragrant white flowers 

 crowded together. Common peduncle divided : pedicels short, 

 about a line in length. Sepals 5, subconcave, rounded at the 

 apex, reflected ; the lowest one the largest, and subfornicated. 

 Four of the petals equal, rounded, clawed ; the fifth and upper 

 one lip-like, situated more interiorly, and shorter than the rest, 

 somewhat recurved, boat-shaped. Stamens 10, distinct: fila- 

 ments subulate, internally villous : anthers ovate. Ovary com- 

 pressed, glabrous : style slightly curved, coloured : stigma ob- 

 tuse. Legume oblong, laterally incurved, spongy, 8- seeded. 



In some of the flowers there are only 8 stamens, and 4 sepals 

 and petals. 



This, like the COULTERIA TINCTORIA, is a very valuable pi ant, 

 and promises, were the cultivation more general, to be of great 

 advantage to the Island. Like the Dibi-deri, it is very hardy, 

 and thrives in the hottest and driest situations, where scarcely 

 any other cultivation can be carried on. The pods are very rich 

 in the tannin principle, and are imported in considerable quan- 

 tities from Carthagena, to be employed in the tanning of leather. 

 It is only of late that the plant has been discovered to be indi- 

 genous to our own Island ; but the number of trees are as yet 

 too few to meet the demand. It might be planted with great 

 advantage in our dry pastures, affording a fine shade, and pro- 

 ducing its fruit frequently, and without any care being re- 

 quired. 



