FABACEAE. 1S9 



usually covered by stinging hairs, at least when young. Seeds orbicular or 

 oblong, few, large. [Brazilian name.] About 25 speeieSj mostly tropical, 

 the following typical. 



1. Mucuna prurlens (L.) DC. Prodr. 2: 405. 1825. 



Dolichos pruriens L. Syst. ed. 10, 1162. 1759. 



Slender, high-climbing, pubescent. Petioles as long as the leaflets or 

 shorter; leaflets thin, appressed-pubescent, somewha;t silvery beneath, the 

 terminal one rather long-staJked, ovate or rhombic-ovate, the lateral ones 

 short-stalked, obliquely ovate, inequilateral; racemes several-many-flowered, 

 elongated; calyx silvery-silky, about 1 cm. long, 4-cleft; corolla blue or purple; 

 standard ovate; wings and keel about twice as long as the standard, 2-3 cm. 

 long; pod narrowly oblong, slightly curved, about 6 cm. long and 1 cm. thick, 

 densely covered with brittle stinging hairs. 



Thickets and scrub-lands, New Providence near Nassau : — Cuba to St. Thomas 

 and Tobago ; Jamaica ; continental tropical America ; Old World tropics. Dolley 

 reports Mucuna urens L., from the Bahamas but the plant has not been returned In 

 any of the collections we have seen ; the record probably refers to M. pruriens. 



COW-ITCH. 



18. GAIACTIA P. Br.; Adans. Eam. PI. 2: 322. 1763. 



Perennial vines (some species erect and shrubby), mainly with pinnately 

 3-foliolate leaves, small and deciduous stipules, and small or large axillary 

 racemose flowers. Calyx 4-lobed, bracteolate, the lobes acute, often as long as 

 the tube. Standard orbicular or obovate. "Wings narrow, obovate, adherent 

 to the narrow, nearly straight keel. Stamens diadelphous or nearly so (9 and 

 1). Ovary nearly sessile; ovules oo ; style filiform, not bearded. Pod linear, 

 straight or slightly curved, usually flattened, 2-valved, several-seeded. Eleshy 

 few-seeded pods are sometimes produced from subterranean apetalous flowers. 

 [Greek, milk-yielding, the typical species described as having milky branches.] 

 About 70 species natives of warm and temperate regions, most abundant in 

 America. Type species: Glycine Gaiactia L. 



Corolla about 2 cm. long; standard parallel with the wings. 1. O. rudolpMoicles. 

 Corolla 1.5 cm. long or less ; standard erect or ascending. 



Leaflet only one. 2. O. monophylla. 



Leaflets three. 



Leaflets large, ovate to elliptic, 4-8 cm. long. 3. G- spidformis. 



Leaflets small, oblanceolate to obovate or oval, 1-4 cm. 

 long. 

 Inflorescence longer than the leaves ; leaves glab- 

 rous or nearly so. 4. G. bahamensis. 

 Inflorescence not exceeding the leaves ; leaves 



densely appressed-pubescent. 5. (?. uniflora. 



1. Gaiactia rudolphioides (Griseb.) Benth. & Hook.; Sauv. Anales Acad. 

 Habana 5: 337. 1869. 



Bioclea rudolphioides Griseb. Mem. Am. Acad. II. 8: 178. 1860. 



Slender, twining or trailing, woody below, 1-3 m. long, glabrous or 

 sparingly appressed-pubescent. Petioles 2-5 em. long; stipules triangular or 

 lanceolate, about 2 mm. long; leaflets 3, oblong, oblong-lanceolate or ovate- 

 oblong, 2-4 cm. long, obtuse, aeutish or emarginate at the apex, rounded or 

 narrowed at the base, glabrous on both sides, revolute-margined, the short 

 petiolules villous; racemes slender-peduncled, longer than the leaves; bracts 

 linear-subulate, 1-2 mm. long; bractlets ovate or lanceolate, acute, about 1.5 



