310 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLAXTS. 



short acute ; flowers in axillary racemes ; racliis rather rigid, straight ; 

 bracts short distichous ; pedicels long; bractlets :2, short, inserted at 

 top of pedicel below flower [New Caledonia 1 ). 



154. Desmodium Desyx. 2 — Calyx gamosepalous ; tube short, at 

 base either obtuse [Catenaria 3 Dendrolobium* Dicerma? Plnjllodium? 

 Pteroloma 7 ), or tapering (Nicolsonia* Codariocalyv; Pleurolobm™ 

 Cychmorium? Sagotia, 13 Dollinera 13 ) ; lobes or teeth 5, unequal ; 

 .2 superior connate to a less height ; 3 inferior narrower, acute or 

 subulate. Petals sessile or unguiculate ; standard obovate, oblong, 

 or suborbicular, narrowed at base, sessile or more rarely with an 

 obtuse or subcordate claw ; wings oblique, either slightly adhering 

 to inappendiculate keel {Catenaria, Dendrolobium, &c), or adhering 

 to keel laterally appendiculate with a small membrane or hump 

 (Nicolsonia, Codariocalyx, &c.) ; keel curved or subrostrate, obtuse. 

 Stamens 10, 2-adelphous (9-1) ; vexillary stamen free at base, connate 

 to a variable height with remainder into a closed tube. Germen 

 sessile or stipitate ; ovules 2-x> ; style curved or inflexed, beardless ; 

 apex obtuse or capitate, stigmatiferous. Legume jointed exserted : 

 segments 1-x ; of variable form, coriaceous or membranous, rather 

 turgid or flat, glabrous or villous, either separating in succession on 

 maturity and usually indehiscent, or more rarely scarcely separable 

 and dehiscing at inferior suture. Seeds orbicular ovate or reni- 

 form, compressed exarillate. — Herbs, undershrubs or shrubs ; leaves 

 usually pinnate 3-foliolate (Dendrolobium, Dicerma, PhijUodiiim, I)ol- 

 linera, &c), more rarely 5- or 1-foliolate {Pteroloma, &c.) ; leaflets 

 stipellate ; stipules free or connate into one, oppositifolious, usually 

 dry striated ; flowers 14 either in terminal or axillary, compound 

 branched, or more rarely simple or subumbellate racemes, or else 

 sometimes axillary, solitary or few ; bracts often 2 -flowered, mem- 



1 Species 1 : A. sanguineus. 



- Joum. Bot, i. 122, t. 5, fig. 15.— DC, 

 Prodr., ii. 325. — Spach, Suit, a Bvffon,\. 133. — 

 Endl., Gen., n. 6615.— B. H., Gen., 519, 1002, 

 n. 170. 



3 Benth., in Plant. Jungh., i. 220. 



4 Bexth., loc. cit., 215. 



5 DC, Mem. Legum., 326; Prod,:, ii. 339 

 (sect. Desmodii). — E>t>l., Gen., n. 6616. 



6 Desvs., loc. cit., 123, t. 5, fig. 24. 



7 Bemft., in Plant. Jungh., i. 219. 



s DC, Mem. Legum., 311, t. 51; Prodr., ii. 



325.— Exdl,, Gen., n. mi2.—Perrotteiia DC, 

 in Ari,;. 8c. Nat., sit. 1, iv. 95. 



9 Ha~k., in Flora (1842), Beibl., ii. 48. 



10 Jatme, in Lesrx. Joum. Bot., i. 61. 



11 Wur, Sep., ii. 890. 



u Walp., in Linticta, xxiii. 737; Ann., ii. 412 

 (nee H. Bit.). — Oxydiv.m Ee>~>"., PL Ja 

 Bar., 156. 



n Enixl., Gen., n. 6614. — Ototropis Schac, 

 Ind. Hurt. Wratial. (1S3S). 



M Usually small ; white, or oftener pink purple 

 or blue. 



