238 A FLORA OP MANILA 



ovuled. Pod of several, rounded, flattened, finely prickly, ittdehiscent, 

 1-seeded joints. (In honor of J. Zom, an early German physician and 

 botanist.) 



Species 10, all of tropical America, except 2; 1, probably introduced, 

 in the Philippines. 



1. Z. DIPHYLLA (L.) Pers. 



Glabrous, the stems slender, wiry, branched, spreading or ascending from 

 the rather stobt root, up to 40 cm in length. Leaflets 2, lanceolate, acute 

 or acuminate, 1" to 2.5 cm long; stipules lanceolate, produced below the 

 point of insertion. Racemes 2 to 6 cm long, slender, 3- to IS-flowered. 

 Flowers small, yellow, quite hidden by the paired, lanceolate, acuminate, 

 persistent bracts which are 8 to 10 mm long and tailed at the base. Pod 

 of 2 to 6, round, prickly joints about 2 mm wide. 



In open dry grass lands, San Pedro Macati, fl. Nov.-Jan.; of ^ocal 

 ' occurrence in the Philippines, probably introduced. . Most tropical countries, 

 possibly originating in tropical America. 



23. DESMODIUM Desvaux 



Herbs, shrubs, or small trees with simple or 3-foliolate stipulate leaves. 

 Flowers small, white, pink, red, or purplish, in few- to many-flowered 

 axillary or terminal racemes or. umbels, sometimes panicled. Calyx-teeth 

 longer or shorter than the tube, the upper two often subconnate. Corolla 

 exserted; standard broad; wings more or less adhering to the usually 

 obtuse keel. Upper stamen free or partly so, the other 9 united. Ovary 

 few- to many-ovuled. Pod usually composed of few to many, 1-seeded, 

 indehiscent, compressed joints, smooth or covered with minute hooked hairs. 

 (Greek "bond" or "chain," allusion to the jointed pods.) 



Species 130 or more, in all tropical countries, a few in teniperate regions, 

 30 in the Philippines. 



1. Leaves 3-foliolate. 

 2. Bracts large, orbicular, persistent, leaf-like, enclosing and conceiving 



the flowers 1. D. pulchellwm 



2. Bracts very small or hone. 

 3. Flowers umbellate, umbels arranged in terminal or axillary pani- 

 cles; erect shrubs, „ 2. D. quinquepetahim 



3. Flowers not umbellate; herbs or undershrubs. 

 4. Pods not sinuate, the segments much longer than broad. 



3. D. searpmnis 

 4. Pods deeply sinuate, spirally twisted, the segments as broad 



as long 4. D. procumbena 



4. Pods not deeply sinuate nor ' spirally twisted. 



5. Prostrate or spreading, suffrutescent; leaves silvei-y-pubescent 



beneath; flowers numerous 5. D. capitatum 



5. Slender spreading herbs with 1 to 3 flowers in the leaf-axils. 



6. Pedicels usually shorter than the petioles; leaflets obovate- 



cuneate, truncate or emarginate; branches nearly glabrous. 



6. D. triflorum 



6. Pedicels longer than, the petioles; leaflets usually oblong, 



rounded at the apex; branches pubescent with spreading 



l^aii's-: - 7. D. heterophylla 



1. Leaves 1-foliolate. 



