304 MR. BENTHAM ON TROPICAL LEGUMINOSÆ. 
foliola sæpe mæqualia, oblongo- v. ovali-elliptica, obtuse acuminata, basi angustata, coriacea, nitida, 
maxima fere pedalia, pleraque tamen dimidio minora, petiolo communi brevi, petiolulis brevissimis. 
Stipul ad folia adulta mconspicuæ. Flores majusculi, ad apices ramorum in corymbum fastigiatum 
dispositi, secus ramos breviter racemosi. Pedicelli rigidi, 2-pollicares. Bracteas non vidi. Bracteolæ 
eburnez, subpollicares, crassissimæ, concavæ. Sepala seu calycis segmenta crassiuscula, bracteolis 
parum breviora, eburnea, extus puberula, summo latiore sæpe bifido. Petala sepalis paullo longiora 
et tenuiora, alba, margine undulata v. crispula, extus puberula. Ovarium breviter rufo-tomentosum, 
ovulis ad 8. ; 
Hab. Tropical America. Common in the Caatingas or sandy woods near Panuré, on the Rio Uaupés, 
North Brazil (Spruce, n. 2791). 
IX. GLEDITSCHIA, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PL 568. 
(Tribe EUCÆSALPINIE®. North America, temperate Asia, and tropical Africa.) 
The affinities of this genus had much perplexed me; the inflorescence, small flowers, 
and general habit seemed to indicate an approach to Mimosee, but the floral characters 
are quite different; and I had not till lately the opportunity of examining any but 
male flowers of Gymnocladus, next to which it had been placed by De Candolle and 
others. Having now, however, received good hermaphrodite or female flowers from Dr. 
A. Gray, the close connexion of the two genera has become evident. Both have poly- 
gamous flowers, with the calyx-lobes not completely covering all the petals in the bud, 
so that some of the latter assume almost the appearance of sepals, as in some Passifloreæ 
and allied orders, but which is very unusual in Leguminose ; and Gymnocladus occasionally 
has a few pinnæ of the leaves reduced to simple leaflets, as is frequently the case in Gle- 
ditschia. The chief differences consist in the larger flowers, longer calyx-tube, and 
thick pod of Gymnocladus ; and both genera come well into Æucæsalpinieæ, next to 
Acrocarpus and Wagatea. 
Gleditschia had hitherto been supposed to be confined to North America and tem- 
perate or subtropical Asia, our herbaria containing two species from North America, one or 
perhaps two from China, and one from the Caspian region ; but, after the sheet of our 
‘Genera Plantarum’ containing the genus had been printed off, Dr. Welwitsch communi- 
cated to me specimens of a distinct species gathered by him in the mountains of the 
Huilla district, in West tropical Africa. The generic characters are precisely those of the 
northern species, and the inflorescence that of G. triacanthos, or even more dense, whilst 
the pod is intermediate, as it were, between those of G. caspica and G. monosperma. The 
following are the detailed characters :— 
G. AFRICANA, Welw. MS. Molliter pubescens, vix demum glabrescens, foliis (omnibus ?) 
bipinnatis, foliolis ovatis obtusis retusisve, spicis densis, floribus subsessilibus molliter 
villosis, legumine subrecto oligospermo. 
Arbor (fide Welw.) mediocris, coma dilatata, ramulis novellis foliis inflorescentiaque molliter pubescentibus 
illosisve. Foliorum pinnz opposite, abrupte 3-4-juge v. rarius 2-3-juge cum impari; foliola in 
quaque pina 8-13, alterna, 3-14 poll. longa, basi æqualiter obtusa v. obliqua, coriacea, juniora 
utrinque molliter villosa, adulta nonnunquam supra fere glabra nitidaque. Stipulæ inconspicuz. 
Glandulæ interdum adsunt parvi inter pinnas cujusve jugi. Spicæ molliter villosæ, densi, v. bast 
