PROSOPIS SPICIGrERA (Nat. ord. Leguminosee, Sub-ord. Mimosefe, Tribe Adananthereje.) 



PrOSOPIS. (Linn.) Gen, PI. 1, 591.— GEN. CHAR. Flowers polygamous bisexual and male, 5-merous, sessile, calyx campanulate shortly 

 toothed petals connate below the middle or at length free valvate, stamens 10, free shortly exserted, anthers gland-tipped or rarely without glands, ovary 

 seasile or stipitate many ovuled, style filiform, stigma terminal small, legume continuous filled with pulp linear cylindrical falcate or contorted slightly com- 

 pressed torulose indehiscent at length falling to pieces ; seed ovate compressed. Tree3 or shrubs armed or unarmed, leaves bipionate or occasionally simply 

 pinnate, flowers spiked, rarely in globular heads. 



PROSOPIS SPICIGERA. (Linn.) A tree armed with scattered prickles, or occasionally unarmed, trunk tolerably erect, 

 bark deeply cracked, of a dirty ash eolor.branches irregular, very numerous, forming a shady head; leaves 2-4 inches long, alternate gener- 

 ally bipinnate, with 1-2 rarely 4 opposite pair of pinna? and a gland between each pair, rarely simply pinnate, leaflets 7-10 pair opposite 

 oblong linear obtuse entire glabrous, about | an inch long and £ broad, stipules none, spikes axillary several together elongated filiform 

 nearly erect, anthers tipped with a deciduous gland, bracts minute one flowered caducous, flowers small yellow, legume cylindric filled 

 with mealy pulp. W. A. Prod.p. 271. Linn. Mant. p. 68. Adenanthera aculeata, Roxb. Fl. hid. ii. p. 371. 



This tree is to'erably common throughout the Madras Presidency ; and in Mysore, Bombay, and bengal, but does not occur in Ceylon or 

 in Birmah ; it is frequently found of large size in the denser forests, and rarely attains to a girth of about 9 feet. It is called Perumbe and 

 Vunne in Tamil, Shumee in Bengal, Sounder in the Bombay Presidency, and Sumree in Guzerat ; its timber weighs about 100 lbs. unseasoned and 

 72 lbs., seasoned, and has a specific gravity of 1152. It is dark red in color, straight and close grained, hard and durable, and superior to Teak in 

 strength, and is much used for building purposes and cart wheels, and occasionally foi furniture, and makes excellent fuel. It is of very slow 

 growth ; it floviers in the hot weather ; the mealy sweet substance in the pod is eaten by the natives, and a gum exudes from the tree. 



5b' 



