PLATE XXXI. 



BORBONIA CORDATA 



lleart-Jliape leaved Borbonia. 



CLASS XVII. 

 DIJDELPHIA DECANDRIJ. 



ORDER IV. 



Threads in two fets. 



Ten Chives. 



GENERIC 

 Calyx. Perianthium monophyllum, quinque- 



fidum, turbinntum, corolla dimidio bre- 



vinsj laciniis lanceolatis, acuminatis, fub- 



oequalibus. 

 Corolla pentapctala papilionacea. 



Vexillum reflexum, obtufum, ungue calycis 



longitudine. 



Al<e femicordatae, vexillo paulo brevi- 



ores. 



Carina dipetala, lunulata, obtufa. 



Stamina. Filamenta decern, coalita in cylin- 

 drum, fuperne longitudinaliterdehifeentem, 

 apicibus affurgentia. Antherae parvae. 



Tistillum. Gerrnen fubulatum. Stylus bre- 

 viffimus, adfeendens. Stigma obtufum, 

 emarginatum. 



Pericarpium. Legumen fubrotundum, acumi- 

 natum, uniloculare, i'pina mucronatum. 



Semina reniformia. 



SPECIFIC 



Borbonia foliis cordatis, multinerviis, integer- 



CHARACTER. 



Empalement. Cup one leaf, cut into five feg- 



ments, turban-lhaped, fhorter by half than 



the bloflom; fegments lance- fliapcd, point- 

 ed, nearly of the fame length. 

 Blossom of five leaves, butterfly-fhaped. 



Standard bent back, blunt, the claw the 



length of the cup. 



Wings half heart-fhaped, a little fhorter 



than the. ftandard. 



Ktel of two leaves, half moon-fliaped, and 



blunt. 

 Chives. Threads ten, joined in a cylinder, 



fplitting at the upper fide, turned up at 



the ends. Tips fmall. 

 Pointal. Seed- bud awl-fhaped. Shaft fhort, 



turned up at the end. Summit blunt, and 



bordered. 

 Seed-vessel. Shell roundifh, pointed, of one 



cell, and pointed with a fpine. 

 Seeds kidney-fhaped. 



CHARACTER. 



Borbonia with heart-fhaped leaves, many-nerved, 

 and very entire. 



REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 



1. The Empalement. 



2. The Standard, or upper petal of the Bloflom. 



3. A Wing, or fide petal of the Bloflom. 



4. The Keel, or lower petals of the Bloflom. 



5. The Pointal and Chives, natural fize. 



6. The Seed-vefiel, attached to the Empalement. 



The Borbonia cordata, with its various fynonyms, may be found in the fecond volume of Linnaeus's 

 Species Plantarum, page gg4, from whence our fpecific character is copied. This plant, as well as 

 moft of the genus, are fubjett to lofe their leaves from the lower part of the ftem, which gives it 

 rather a naked appearance when not in flower; but that is amply compenfated by the very handfome 

 appearance of its magnificent bunch of yellow blofloms. It grows to the height of three or four feet, 

 producing but few branches. This figure was taken from a plant fent to the author, about the be- 

 ginning of July, in full bloom, by Mr. Colville, nurferyman, of the King's Road, Chelfea; who informs 

 him that he railed it about the year 1/95, from feeds which he had received from the Cape of Good 

 Hope. The Borbonias are moftly hardy greenhoufe plants, and delight in light earth; either peat, or 

 very light dungy earth: they are in general difficult to propagate by cuttings; the fureft method is 

 by the feed, which they for the moft part perfect in ^his climate. 



