Cassia.] Leguminosce. ioj 



very shortly stalked, slightly overlapping, oval-oblong, obtuse at 

 both ends, mucronate, glabrous or minutely downy, dull green,, 

 paler beneath ; fl. large, nearly 2 in., ped. glabrous, 1 in., 

 racemes few-flowered, short, erect, crowded in axils of upper 1. 

 so as to form a large terminal inflor. (the 1., with the exception 

 of their large stip., being suppressed at the upper nodes) ; cal. 

 glabrous, segm. very unequal, concave, membranous; pet. with 

 rather long claws, crisped on margin ; pod short, 3-4 \ in. by 

 f in. wide, oblong, obtuse, tipped with long style-base, fiat, 

 thin, papery, undulately crumpled, pilose, pale brown ; seeds 

 1 2-20, distant, each in a separate cavity. 



Low country, especially in the dry region and near the coast; common; 

 locally gregarious and abundant. Fl. Feb., March; bright yellow. 



Also in Peninsular India. 



A great ornament to the barren coast regions. 



The leaves of this form ' Ceylon Tea ' or ' Matara Tea,' and the in- 

 fusion is drunk by the natives on several parts of the coast ; when 

 properly cured, rolled, and dried, it is very like true tea in appearance, 

 and somewhat aromatic,* but slightly purgative. The bark is rich in 

 tannin, and is largely employed for tanning leather in Colombo. 



7. C. obtusa, Roxb. Hort. Calc. 31 (18 14). Nilavakai, T. 

 Thw. Enum. 441. C. P. 3843. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 264 (C. obovata; not given for Ceylon). Wight, Ic. t. 

 757. Bentl. and Trim. Med. PI. ii. t. 89 (C. obovata). 



Annual (or perennial ?) 1-2 ft., somewhat woody below, 

 with spreading, glabrous, angular branches ; 1. spreading, 

 rachis 2-2^- in., glabrous, without glands, stip. small, linear- 

 lanceolate, acute, rigid, persistent, lflts. 8-12 (4-6 pair), f-i in., 

 very shortly stalked often somewhat overlapping, broadly 

 oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse at both ends, mucronate, 

 unequal-sided at base, glabrous or nearly so, rather stiff, pale 

 green, glaucous beneath ; fl. about f in., shortly stalked, 

 racemes stalked, erect, lax, axillary, short but lengthening 

 with fruit and ultimately exceeding 1. ; cal.-segm. very obtuse, 

 membranous, veined ; perfect stam. with short fil. and unequal 

 anth., abortive ones very small ; pod 1 J in. or a little more by 

 £ wide, very shortly stalked, oblong, much curved upwards, 

 rounded at both ends, tipped with small curved style-base, 

 very flat, parchment - like, flexible, glabrous or nearly so, 

 greyish-brown, veiny, with a line of prominent rounded crests 

 on the sides over the seeds ; seeds 8-10, separated by very 

 thin partitions, on very long funicles, obovate-wedge-shaped, 



* A sample cured in Jaffna, where it is called ' Suga-Seeveny,' gave 

 on analysis (to Mr. A. C. Dixon; 371 per cent, of an alkaloid and 16*17 of 

 other nitrogenous substances, with 4TJ4 per cent, of gum, tannin, and 

 saccharine matters. 



