VIL. LEGUMINOS/. 
Leguminos@' are plants whose fruit is nearly always.a pod or 
legume (Fr., gousse ; Lat., legumen). Their gyneceum also almost 
invariably consists of a single free excentric carpel, whose unilocular 
ovary contains a pluriovulate, or more rarely uniovulate, parietal 
placenta. Most of the other characters are variable and have war- 
ranted the separation of this order into three suborders, received as 
such by most authors, but by some considered as so many distinct 
orders. These three groups we shall be compelled to study sepa- 
rately ; we shall therefore follow other botanists, and first point out 
the distinctive features of each. 
I. Parinionacez.—Flowers with an irregular corolla known as 
papilionaceous, the standard outside the other petals in the bud. 
Receptacle concave, of a single piece, and bearing on its edges the 
perianth and androceum. Radicle of embryo inflexed, accumbent, 
rarely very short and straight. 
II. Casarriniga.—Flowers with an imbricated corolla, the petal 
corresponding to the standard overlapped on both edges (more 
rarely on one only, or even uncovered) by the two neighbouring 
lateral petals. Receptacle convex with hypogynous insertion, or 
concave with perigynous insertion of perianth and androceum. 
Radicle of embryo straight, rarely slightly oblique. 
III. Mimosez.—Flowers regular, usually small, with a concave 
or convex receptacle. Calyx valvate (rarely imbricate), usually 
gamosepalous, petals valvate, free or coherent to a variable height. 
Embryo usually straight. 
1 Leguminose J., Gen. 345.—Gmrtn., Prelect. ed. Gres., 415. — Papilionacee et 
Fruct., ii, 801—DC., Mém. Légum. (1825);  Cesalpiniee R. Br., in Flind. Voy., ii. 551.— 
Prodr., ii. 93.—ENDL., Gen., 1253.—B. H.,  Swartziee et Mimosee ENDL., op. cit.. 1321, 
Gen., 484. — Papilionacee et Lomentacee L., 1323,—Fabacee Linpu., Veg. Fingd., 544. 
