120 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
equal, with short filaments bearing anthers that dehisce by two 
short clefts near the apex. The pod is flattened and bivalve ; and the 
seeds, which are often oblique, are compressed parallel with the 
valves, 
Cassia (Senna) acutifolia. Cassia (Senna) angustifolia, 
Cassia (Senna) 
ovalifolia. 
¢ 
Fie. 102. 
Fruit. 
Fie. 98. 
Leaflet. 
Fie. 99. 
Leaflet. 
Fie. 100. 
Fruit. 
Fra. 101. 
Leaflet. 
In Psilorhegma' the ten stamens are also fertile, and like those of 
Absus, and the pod is compressed and bivalve; but the seeds are 
transverse. 
Chamecrista’ has nearly the flowers of Psilorhegma ; but the sepals 
éaper at the apex instead of being obtuse, and the flowers are 
axillary or lateral, solitary or few together. The compressed pod 
usually tapers towards either end, and dehisces in two valves. 
Thus constituted, the genus Cassia comprises, it is said, upwards 
of four hundred species; but this number should, as we have seen, 
be reduced to less than half. They are shrubs, or more rarely trees 
or herbs, natives of all warm countries, especially tropical America. 
Their alternate leaves are paripinnate, or else have no blade, while the 
petiole expands into a phyllode. The stipules are very variable in 
1 Voe., loc. cit—B. H., Gen. 573, 3.— 
Macleaya Montrovz., Fl. Ins. Art., in Mém. 
Ac, Lyon,x. 199. All the species of this section 
are Asiatic or Australian (RzicHs., Icon. Exot., 
t. 206;— Coun. Hort. Ripul., t. 10, 11;— 
Gaupicu., in Freycin. Voy. Bot., t. 111;— 
Bot. Mag., t. 2676;—Bot. Reg., t. 1322), 
except C. Apocouita AuBL. (Guian., 879, t. 
146 ;—C. deuminata W.;—C. nitida Ricu. ;— 
C. ramiflora Voa.), which is a native of tropical 
America. 
2 DC., op. cit, 500, sect. viii—E. Mey., 
Comm. Pl. Afric. Austr., 158.—Jacg., Hort. 
Schenbr., t. 480.—K., Mimos., t. 36, 37.— 
CotzaD., op. cit., t. 9, 16-20.—Grimaldia 
ScuRANCK, in Miinch. Denks. (1808), 103 
(part.).—In this section the sepals are almost 
constantly acute or acuminate—a character of 
but little importance, but convenient for sys- 
tematic purposes, as it is very rare in the other 
sections, whose sepals are generally rounded at 
the apex. 
