34 Legumin0S<Z. [Sesbania. 



i. * S. aeg-yptiaca, Pers. Syn. PI. ii. 316 (1807). Chittakatti, T. 



Moon Cat. 53. Thw. Enum. 84. C. P. 15 12. 

 Fl. B. Ind. ii. 114. Wight, Ic. t. 32. 



A weedy tree-like herb 6-10 ft. high, with numerous 

 spreading branches, nearly glabrous, without prickles, young 

 parts silky ; 1. numerous, rachis 2 J-4 in., slightly pilose, without 

 prickles, furrowed above, swollen at base, stip. filiform, 

 membranous, falling early; lflts. in 10-15 pair, very shortly 

 stalked, |-f in., oblong-linear, obtuse, apiculate, glabrous or 

 nearly so, rather glaucous ; fl. few, rather large, on very slender 

 ped., in very lax, slender, pendulous, axillary, stalked racemes; 

 cal. glabrous, segm. very shallow, acute; pod 8-9 in., pendulous, 

 very narrowly linear, sharply beaked, usually somewhat 

 twisted, weak, slightly torulose, seeds 30 or more, greenish- 

 grey. 



Dry country ; rare. Habarane (Gardner) ; Trincomalie (Glenie). 

 Doubtfully native, but often seen in gardens. Fl. Nov., Dec, June ; 

 pale yellow, the standard dotted on the back with purple. 



Throughout the Tropics, but often cultivated. 



2. S. aculeata, Pers. Syn. PL ii. 316 (1807). 



Burm. Thes. 93. Herm. Mus. 55. Fl. Zeyl. n. 298, var. (3 (in part). 

 JEschynomene Sesban, L. Sp. PI. 714 (part). Moon Cat. 53. Thw. 

 Enum. 84. C. P. 1513. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 114. Burm. Thes. t. 41 (poor). 



A semi-woody annual, 1-3 ft. high, with numerous, more 

 or less prickly, glabrous, ascending branches ; 1. ascending, 

 rachis very long, 6-10 in., branch-like, stout, cylindrical, more 

 or less set beneath with small hooked prickles, glabrous, stip. 

 membranous, acuminate, soon falling, lflts. very numerous, 

 20-50 pair, shortly stalked, £-§ in., linear or oblong-linear, 

 obtuse, mucronate, glabrous; fl. as in the last but rather 

 smaller ; pod 6-9 in., spreading or erect, narrowly linear, 

 slightly falcate, beaked, stiff not twisted, glabrous, slightly 

 torulose. 



Var. (3, sericea, Benth. in Thw. Enum. 441. C. P. 3850. 



Branches, rachis and lflts. permanently silky beneath ; 

 racemes with shorter peduncles. 



Low country especially in dry region ; rather common. Var. /3, 

 Colombo. Often a bad weed in paddy fields. Fl. Jan., July ; yellow, 

 standard with red dots on the back. 



Throughout the E. Tropics. 



An unarmed variety is common in paddy fields with shorter erect 

 straight pods always under 4 in. long and solitary and sessile in the 

 axils, which is probably JE. uliginosa, Roxb., or perhaps ^E.procumbens, 

 Roxb. 



Under his JE. Sesban, Linnaeus doubtless included also S. cegyptiaca. 



