Smithia.~\ Leguminosce. 37 



Cal. rigid, the lips entire, acute. 



Fl. in small axillary racemes . . . . I. S. SENSITIVA. 



Fl. solitary or 2, in axils 2. S. GEMINIFLORA. 



Cal. membranous, the lips lobed ; fl. in panicles . 3. S. blanda. 



1. S. sensitiva, Ait. Hort. Kew. iii. 496 (1789). 



C. P. 3946. 



Fl. B. ind. ii. 148 (not given for Ceylon). Ait. Hort. Kew. t. 13. 



Annual with very slender much-branched, glabrous stems, 

 1-1J ft. long; 1. small, rachis under \ in., set with bristly 

 hairs, stip. lanceolate, acute, lflts. 3-6 pair, oblong-linear, 

 obtuse, bristle-pointed, glabrous above, with rather long 

 bristles on margin and midrib beneath; fl. small, on slender 

 ped., 2-6 crowded at ends of small, stalked, erect, axillary 

 racemes rather longer than 1. ; cal. striate, somewhat bristly, 

 the lips equal, acute, entire; joints of pod 4-6, papillose, pale 

 brown. 



Low country in intermediate region ; very rare. Kaluganga, Lagalla 

 (Beckett) ; wet places near Lenadore. Fl. Feb.; bright yellow. 



Also in India, Java, China, Trop. Africa, Madagascar. 



The leaves are excessively sensitive. 



2. S. conferta, Sin. i?i Rees* Cyclop, xxxiii. (1816). 

 Thw. Enum. 85. C. P. 2777. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 149. (S '. geminiflora, Roth, var.) 



Annual, 2-4 ft., branches long, virgate, straggling, smooth, 

 with very long internodes below, 1. small, rachis \-\ in., bristly, 

 stip. very large, scarious, brownish-red, lanceolate, acute, with 

 a long deflexed acuminate or lacerate auricle at base, lflts. 4-8 

 pair, \-\ in., oblong, obtuse, mucronate, glabrous above, 

 strongly ciliate on margin and midrib beneath, fl. rather large, 

 conspicuous, with 2 scarious bracts close beneath cal., solitary 

 or 2, on slender ped., from axils of upper 1. which are 

 crowded at ends of branches, so as to form a congested head ; 

 cal. scarious, rigid, lips entire, acute; pod very small, joints 3 

 or 4, minute, wrinkled. 



Moist low country up to 3000 ft.; in wet places, rather common. 

 Pasdun Korale; Hantane; Maturata; Dikwelle; Ella. Fl. Jan., July, 

 September ; pale yellow. 



Also in India, Java, and Trop. Australia. 



This is doubtless the S. sensitiva of Moon Cat. 54. The leaves 

 become deflexed and the leaflets close up quickly after gathering, or on 

 being struck. 



3. S. blanda, Wall. Cat. n. 5669 (1828). 



S. paniculata, Arn. Pug. 12. Thw. Enum. 85. C. P. 58. 

 Fl. Ji. Ind ii. 1 5 J. Wight, Ic. t. 986 (?). 



A perennial herb, 1-2 ft., erect or ascending, stems slightly 

 branched, usually hispid, more rarely glabrous; 1. distant 



