Australian Corkwood Tree 



559 



united for more than half their length; anthers all alike; ovary sessile; style in- 

 curved, hairy along the inner side; stigma capitate; ovules several. The pod is 

 linear, 2 to 3.5 cm. long, smooth, 2-valved, marginless, bristle-pointed at the apex, 

 narrowed at the base and constricted between the seeds, which are compressed, 

 orbicular, about 2 mm. in diameter, shining and red-brown. 



The genus embraces about 15 species of trees or shrubs confined to the warmer 

 portions of the New World, Coursetia tomentosa (Desfontaines) de Candolle, of 

 Peru, being the type species. The name is in honor of G. Dumont de Courset 

 (1746-1824), a French scientist. 



VI. AUSTRALIAN CORKWOOD TREE 



GENUS AGAH ADANSON 



Species Agati grandiflora (Linnaeus) Desvaux 



Robinia grandiflora Linnaeus. Sesbania grandiflora Poiret 



iJHIS tropical Asiatic tree has been cultivated for its large showy flowers 

 and for shade in all warm countries and has become quite widely 

 naturalized, especially in the West Indies, whence it was introduced into 

 southern Florida, where it is now spontaneous in sandy soils. Its 



maximum height is about 9 meters. 



The twigs are stout, densely heiiry at first. The leaves are long and narrow, 



evenly pinnate, 1.5 to 3 dm. long, con- 

 sisting of 10 to 20 pairs of leaflets; these 



are oblong, 2 to 2.5 cm. long, rounded 



at each end, or minutely tipped, short 



stalked, hght green and smooth above, 



scarcely paler and slightly hairy be- 

 neath. The flowers are very large, in 



few- flowered, short, hairy racemes; their 



calyx is cup-shaped, shallowly 2-lipped; 



corolla white or red, 7.5 to 10 cm. long; 



the standard shorter and narrower than 



the keel petals; stamens 10, one of them 



separate from the 9 others. The fruit 



is a linear pod often 3 dm. long, about 



8 mm. wide, light yellow, very thick on 



both edges, somewhat sunken in between 



the seeds, the valves thick and spongy. 



Fig. 517. — Australian Corkwood Tree. 



splitting freely through the thick edges; seeds numerous, compressed, kidney- 

 shaped, about 6 mm. long and brown. 



This corkwood is soft, coarse-grained and white; its specific gravity is about 

 0.51 ; it is not durable and of Uttle use. The flowers and the green pods are eaten 



