Abrus."\ Leguminosee. 5 7 



21. ABRUS, L. 



Twining perennials, 1. abruptly pinnate with deciduous 

 stipellate lflts., fl. on short swollen branchlets of axillary 

 racemose panicles ; cal. small, campanulate, truncate ; keel- 

 pet, completely connate, slightly curved longer than wings 

 and standard ; stam. 9 (tenth one absent), connate into a 

 tube split above, adnate at base to standard ; style glabrous, 

 stigma capitate ; pod flat, oblong or linear, 3-9-seeded with 

 papery septa between the seeds. — Sp. 5 ; 3 in Fl. B. Ind. 



Infl.- shorter than 1. ; pod oblong .... I. A. PRECATORIUS. 

 Infl. much longer than 1. ; pod linear . . . 2. A. pulchellus. 



1. A. precatorius, L. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, 472 (1767). Olinda- 

 wel. 5. Kuntumani, T. 



Herm. Mus. 16. Burm. Thes. 177. Fl. Zeyl. n. 284. Moon Cat. 52. 

 Thw. Enum. 91. C. P. 1466. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 175. Bentl. and Trim. Med. PL ii. t. 77. 



A perennial twiner, stems numerous, scarcely woody, 

 slender, glabrous, with long internodes ; 1. spreading, pinnate, 

 rachis 2-4 in., thickened at base, very slender, channelled, 

 nearly glabrous, stip. minute, setaceous, lflts. 20-24 (10-12 

 pair) or more, opposite, very shortly stalked, quickly de- 

 ciduous, about f in., oblong, obtuse at both ends, minutely 

 apiculate, glabrous above, slightly hairy beneath, thin ; fl. 

 rather small, shortly stalked, several together on very short 

 swollen knob-like branches crowded at end of stout, curved, 

 swollen peduncles, usually shorter than 1.; cal. glabrous or 

 very slightly silky ; pod. i^-lf in. by \ in. wide, flat, oblong, 

 truncate, with a sharp deflexed beak, finely silky ; seeds 3-5, 

 rather over \ in., ovoid, usually bright scarlet with a black 

 patch on top, polished. 



Low country ; common, especially in the dry region. Fl. Feb. ; pale 

 violet. 



Every Tropical country. 



The pretty scarlet and black seeds are well known, and are used as 

 weights by jewellers. The flowers are sometimes white when the seeds 

 are of the same colour ; there is also a form with the seeds wholly black. 



The root is the well-known 'Indian Liquorice,' Glycyrrhiza indica of 

 the older writers, and is used both internally and externally in native 

 medicine. The seeds are an acrid poison unless cooked. 



1. A. pulchellus, Wall. Cat. n. 5819. 

 Thw. Enum. 91. C. P. 1467. 

 Fl B. Ind. ii. 175. 



Much like the last, but stems slightly hairy ; lilts. 10-20 

 (5-10 pair), \-\\ in., narrowly oblong; fl. less crowded in 



