FABACEJE, OR LEGUMINOS^. 



with slight hairs. Nearly resembles Senna in its properties. Ac- 

 cording to Bigelow about more of the leaves of this plant than of 

 true Senna is required to produce a given effect. 



CATHARTOCARPUS. 



The flowers of Cassia. Legume terete, indehiscent, divided 

 into a number of spurious cells by transverse hard phragmata ; 

 cells 1 -seeded, filled with pulp. Embryo with an excessively 

 thick bony covering (testa ? albumen ?). Trees. Leaves pin- 

 nated. Flowers in drooping racemes. 



545. C. Fistula Pers. synops. i. 459. Cassia fistula Linn. sp. 

 pi 540. Gcertn. ii. t. 147. f. 1. Woodv. t. 163. DC.prodr. 

 ii. 490. S. and C. iii. t. 155. Roxb. fl. ind. ii. 333. Various 

 parts of the East Indies ; tropical Africa ; introduced into the 

 West Indies. 



A tree from 20 to 30 feet high. Leaves pinnate, from 12 to 18 

 inches long, deciduous. Leaflets from 4 to 8 pair, opposite or nearly 

 so, the lower broad-ovate, the upper oblong, entire, generally obtuse or 

 emarginate, polished on both sides, from 2 to 6 inches long and from 

 1 ^ to 3 broad. Petioles round, without glands. Racemes pendulous, 

 simple, from 1 to 2 feet long. Flowers large, bright yellow, fragrant, 

 on long, slender, smooth pedicels. Sepals 5, nearly equal, oval, smooth, 

 much shorter than the corolla. Petals oval, unequal. The 3 lower 

 filaments much longer than the others and having a double curve, but 

 no swelling. Anthers on the 3 long filaments oblong, opening by 2 lines 

 on the face, the other 7 clavate, with pores at the small end. Ovary 

 filiform, smooth, one-celled, containing numerous seeds, which at this 

 period are without any sign of separation, that appearing in the ad- 

 vanced state ; style short incurved ; stigma conical, smooth. Legume 

 cylindrical, 9-12 inches long, dark blackish brown, terete, smooth, blunt, 

 filled with a viscid black sweetish pulp, interposed between the seeds 

 and the transverse diaphragms. An extract of the pulp gently laxa- 

 tive ; seeds in the dose of 4-6 drachms purgative ; roots reputed an 

 excellent febrifuge. 



C^SALPINIA. 



Sepals 5, unequal, combined at the base into a somewhat per- 

 sistent cup, the lower one the larger and slightly vaulted. Pe- 

 tals 5, unequal, unguiculate ; the upper one shorter than the 

 others. Stamens 10, distinct: filaments villous and ascending 

 at the base ; anthers all fertile. Style filiform. Legume un- 

 armed, compressed, 2-valved, wingless. Seeds roundish, oval, 

 or oblong, compressed. Trees or shrubs, prickly or unarmed. 

 Leaves abruptly bipinnated. Flowers yellow, racemose, or pani- 

 cled. W. and A. 







546. C. Nuga Ait. hort. Kew. iii. 32. DC. prodr. ii. 481. - 

 Guilandina Nuga Linn. sp. pi. 546. (Rumph. v. t. 50.) Mo- 

 luccas. 



262 



