LEGUMINOSA-OASALPINIEZ. 145 
its two faces. It appears to be indehiscent, and contains in chambers 
formed by its endocarp a variable number of seeds borne on slender 
funicles ; their coats, resembling those of Erythrophleum,' enclose a 
thick albumen of peculiar texture,’ which in turn envelopes a greenish 
embryo. JB. filicifolia is a small unarmed tree from the islands off the 
east coast of tropical Africa. Its alternate bipinnate leaves consist 
of a very large number of little leaflets, and its flowers form ramified 
false racemes on the wood of the young branches. 
To R. Brown’ is due the formation of the group Cesalpiniee,' by 
some authors considered a distinct order,’ but by most regarded as a 
mere suborder of Leguminose.. It is most difficult to find a single 
character which will really distinguish Cesalpiniee absolutely from 
the rest of Leguminose. Still, generally speaking, the embryo is 
straight,’ and the imbrication of the corolla is not vexillary.. But 
there are several members of the series Bauhiniee in which the radicle 
is curved, and on the other hand in many Papilionacee the radicle 
is quite straight. Again, we have found that in such genera as 
Cadia, Tamarindus, Vouapa, &c., the vexillary petal is sometimes 
overlapping; sometimes overlapped, on one or both sides,® and others 
like Duparquetia, in which the imbrication is always vexillary ; while 
among Papilionacee we shall occasionally find plants where this 
same vexillary estivation of the corolla is far from constant. Hence, 
making all proper reservations, we may say the Cesalpinice are, very 
generally speaking, Leguminose with straight embryos and a non- 
vexillary estivation. 
All those other characters to which considerable importance is 
1 The middle coat is extremely hard, and out- 283.—J. G. Acarpu, Theor. Syst. Plant. 
side it is a soft layer, which in water swells, and 
then gives way, and curls up irregularly. 
2 Tt has a farinaceous or subcrystalline ap- 
pearance; in water it breaks up and becomes 
translucent, especially in certain parts, and dis- 
solves like aleurone. 
3 Gen. Rem..19; Congo,10? Mise, Works, 
ed. BENN., i. 23, 100, 240 (Lomentacee v. Cas- 
alpinica). 
4 Tt was really ADawson who, in 1763, dis- 
tinguished this group in the order Leguminosae 
as “ Premiere section: les Casses.” He in- 
cluded however the few imosee then known. 
(See Fam. des Pl., ii. 317.) 
5 A. Bronen., Enum. (1848), 182, Fam. 
VOL. II. 
(1858), 212. 
6 J., Gew., 346, &e.—DC., Prodr., ii. (1825), 
473 (subord.iv.)—Ewpz., Gen., 1310 (trib. viii), 
—Linp1., Veg. Kingd., 549.—B. H., Gen., 4386, 
457 (subord. ii.) 
7 DC., Prodr., ii. 94, tab. synopt., “ Legu- 
minose rectembria, nempe embryonis radicula 
recta.” He subdivides this group into Mimosee, 
in which the petals are valvate, and the stamens 
hypogynous; and Cesalpiniee, in which the 
petals are imbricated, and the stamens perigy nous. 
We need scarcely dwell on the over precise aud 
absolute characters of this greuping. 
8 See pp. 71, 99, 103. 
iL 
