520 



Wild Tamarind 



corolla, which is pink, funnel-form, its lobes ovate; stamens numerous, 3 to 3.5 

 cm. long, much exscrted, the filaments united at the base; ovary short-stalked. 

 The fruit is broadly linear, flat, 10 to 15 cm. long, sharp-pointed at each end, 

 often slightly constricted between the seeds, smooth, straw-colored, paper}% and 

 dehiscent; the seeds, 8 to 10 in a pod, are oval, very flat, 8 to 10 mm. long and 

 light brown. 



The wood is hard, close-grained, dark brown; its specific gravity is about 0.77. 



It is a rather rapid grower and a desirable tree on account of its showy flower 

 heads and open feathery foliage. The generic name is in honor of the Italian 

 naturaUst, Albizzi. There are about 50 species known, of which this one is the 

 type, all natives of Asia or Africa. A. Lebbek, a larger African tree with larger 

 leaflets and pods, is much planted for shade in the West Indies. 



V. WILD TAMARIND 



GENUS LYSILOMA BENTHAM 

 Species Lysiloma bahamensis Bentham 



HIS handsome tree is an inhabitant of sandy soils, in southern Florida, 



the Bahamas, and Cuba. Its maximum height is 16 meters, with a 



trunk diameter of 1.2 m. It has been confused with the similar L. 



latisiliqua of Haiti. 



The branches are stout and spreading, forming a round-topped tree. The 



bark is 4 to 12 mm. thick, smooth, gray to 

 darkish brown, that of older trunks sphtting 

 into thick scales; the twigs are smooth or 

 nearly so, reddish brown with wart-like 

 markings, becoming light brown. The 

 leaves are deciduous, evenly bipinnate, 10 to 

 14 cm. long, including the slender leaf-stalk, 

 which bears a large gland near the first pair 

 of pinnae; the leaf- like, acute, ovate stipules 

 are 12 mm. long, and usually remain until 

 the flowers appear; there are 2 to 5 pairs of 

 pinnae 3.5 to 8 cm. long, stalked, the terminal 

 pair being a little shorter than the basal; the 

 leaflets, 10 to 30 pairs, are sessile, oblong or 

 oblong-lanceolate, 8 to 15 mm. long, blunt at 

 apex, unequally rounded at the base, entire, 

 smooth, light green above, paler beneath. 

 The white, usually perfect, flowers, appear- 

 FiG. 481. -Wild Tamarind. j^^g f^.^^ October to June, are in terminal 



racemes or axillary clusters, of globular heads, on peduncles 2 to 4 cm. long; the 



