LEGUMINOS H-MIMOSEZD. 27 
into a single large common ramified raceme. 
lated-at the base on the common rachis.’ 
Tetrapleura’ has the axillary inflorescence and the shortly pedicellate 
flowers of Stryphnodendron. According to Tuénnine’s description® 
all the parts of the flower are exactly similar to what is known of 
Entada and Adenanthera. But the pod, which is alone to be studied 
in our collections, is a peculiar conformation, and suffices to dis- 
tinguish this genus from the preceding ones. This pod, either 
straight or bowed, thick coriaceous and indehiscent, bears along its 
whole length four nearly equal projecting angles or wings; the 
ventral placentary suture corresponding to one of the intervening 
furrows. The indefinite seeds are separated by thickenings of the 
endocarp. The only known species‘ is a lofty tree, from the west 
of tropical Africa. It is said that its bipinnate leaves are opposite, 
and that its flowers are grouped in axillary racemes. 
Gagnebina’ is easily distinguished from all the preceding genera 
by characters, which, though very important elsewhere, are here 
altogether secondary. The floral receptacle is convex, so that the 
insertion of the perianth and androceum is really hypogynous. The 
calyx is gamosepalous, five-toothed, and membranous, valvate in the 
bud. There are five free valvate petals, and ten free stamens with 
narrow elongated sagittate introrse two-celled anthers, each 
crowned by a little glandular swelling. The stipitate ovary con- 
tains numerous descending subanatropous ovules, in two vertical 
rows. The fruit is stipitate, oblong, compressed, slightly bowed or 
sinuous, indehiscent. Its two marginal sutures project distally into 
membranous wings of sinuous outline. The endocarp grows in 
between the seeds, including each in a little separate cell. Within 
the seed coats is a fleshy embryo, surrounded by no great quantity 
ofalbumen. The only known species’ of this genus is a tree from Mada- 
Each flower is articu- 
1 Usually the pedicel is very slender, and is 
received into a little conical hollow in the base 
of the flower; so that the bud appears sessile 
and covers the short pedicel with a sort of cap 
or bell, whose free rim is more or less thickened. 
2 Benrn., in Hook, Journ., iv. 345.—H. By., 
in Adansonia, vi. 192, 211, t. iv. fig. 5.—B. H., 
Gen., 590, u. 380. 
3 Beskr., 233. 
47. Thoénningit Bunvu., loc. cit.; Niger, 
211.—Watp., Rep. v. 581.—Adenanthera 
tetraptera Scuum. & Tuénn,, loc. cit, [OLIVER, 
op. cit., ii. 331, gives another species, 7. andongo- 
nensis, Wutw., Mss. and adds, “ Besides the 
above, Dr. Welwitsch collected . . . the fruit of 
probably a third species of Zetrapleura (T. 
obtusangula Wriw.).”’] 
5 Nuox., Hlem.,n. 1296.—DC., Mém. Légum., 
423, t. 64; Prodr., ii. 431.—ENDL, Gen., n. 
6833.—B. H., Gen., 591, n. 381. 
6 G. tamariscina DC.—G. axillaris DC.— 
Mimosa tamariscina Lamx., Dict., i, 18.—M. 
pterocarpa LaMK., loc. cit——Acacia tamaris- 
cina W., Spec., iv. 1062. 
