ROBINIA. 



ftalks unarmed. Stipulas lanceolate, permanent, flexible. 

 Calyx nearly entire. — Native of the Weft Indies. A very 

 hezuufaljbrui, entirely covered with large purp\i(hjla-wers, 

 four or five from each bud, on fimple capillary jlalks, be- 

 fore the leaves appear. Branches round, fmootli, dotted, 

 purplifh-grey. Lower haves from the flowering buds of 

 the preceding year, ufually two or three together, the length 

 of the finger ; upper ones on the young branches iolitary, 

 alternate, half as long again ; leaflets (talked, oppofite, ob- 

 long, fmooth, veiny, pointed, the uppermoft rather fmalleft : 

 common footftalk without any terminal fpine. Stipulas 

 lanceolate, fmall, thin, flexible, permanent. Calyx cup- 

 (haped, nearlv entire, finely downy. Corolla large ; its 

 claws the length of the calyx. Germen fmooth. Vahl. 



12. R. p-Ayantha. Many-flowered Robinia. Swartz 

 Ind. Occ. v. 3. 1260. — Stalks fimple, fingle-flowered. 

 Leaves abruptly pinnate ; hoary beneath ; their common 

 ftalks unarmed. Stipulas awl-fhaped, clofe-preffed, perma- 

 nent. Calyx with linear teeth. — 1 Jative of thickets on the 

 mountains of Hifpaniola. A Jlirub, about fix leet high, 

 ereft, with copious branches, delhtute of dots ; greyilh and 

 downy when young. Flowers pale purple, three or four 

 from each bud, appearing moftly before the leaves, as in 

 the lalt, from which this fpecies chiefly differs in the fmaller 

 fize of every part, and in the teeth of its calyx, which 

 are nearly, if not entirely, wanting in R.Jlorida. Swart-z. 



13. R. Caragana. Caragana Robinia, or Siberian Pea- 

 tree. Linn. Sp. PI. 1044. Willd. n. 12. Ait. n. 5. 

 « Schmidt Arb. t. 33." ( R. Altagana ; Pall. Roft. v. 1 . 

 p. I. 68. t. 42, the middle figure only.) — Stalks fimple, 

 lingle- flowered, many together. Leaves abruptly pinnate, 

 of about four pair of elliptical leaflets ; their common 

 ftalks unarmed. Stipulas thorny. Legume cylindrical. — 

 Native of Siberia. Cultivated by Miller in 1752. Hardy 

 in our gardens, flowering in April and May. The Jlem 

 forms a bulhy Jhrub, producing from each bud numerous 

 large yellow Jloivers, on long fimple ftalks, accompanied 

 by feveral abruptly pinnated, nearly fmooth, leaves, which 

 become alternate on the protruding branches. The leajlets 

 are moftly alternate, elliptical or obovate, hardly an 

 inch long. The Jlipulas change into ftraight awl-(haped 

 thorns. 



14. P.. Altagana. Sand Robinia. Willd. n. 13. Ait. 

 h. 6. L'Herit. Stirp. 159. t. 76. Pall. Roft. v. 1. p. 1. 

 69, the fmall variety, t. 42, the lateral figures. — Stalks 

 fimple, fingle-flowered, folitary. Leaves abruptly pinnate, 

 of about eight pair of obovate, or inverfely heart-ihaped, 

 'uaflets ; their common ftalks unarmed. Stipulas thorny. 

 Legume compreffed. — Native of fandy ground in Siberia. 

 Introduced into England by Mr. Bl-11, in 17S9. Differs 

 irom the laft, of which Pallas made it a variety, in its more 

 humble fize, emarginate, numerous, and hoary leaflets ; foli- 

 tary jloivers ,• and efpecially its comprefled legume. Thefe 

 two fpecies, fo nearly akin, prove the luppofed generic dif- 

 tin&ion of the cylindrical and comprefled legumes, aflerted 

 by Lamarck to be of no avail, in a natural point of view, 

 for the purpofeof dividing Robinia into two genera. 



15. R. jubata. Bearded Robinia. Willd. n. 14. Ait. 

 n. 7. " Pall, in Nov. AcL Petrop. v. 10. 370. t. 6." — 

 Stalks fimple, fingle-flowered. Leaves abruptly pinnate, 

 of numerous pairs of lanceolate, downy leaflets ; their com- 

 mon ftalks thread-fliaped, Ipinous, permanent, reflexed. 

 Branches villous. — Found near lake Baical in Siberia, from 

 whence it was imported by Mr. Buffo, in 1796. This is a 

 {mslljhrui, fcarcely two feet high, with villous branches, 

 affuming a very peculiar afpeft in confequence of its nu- 

 merous, reflexed, permanent, hardened and fpinous co"»> m 



footflalh. The leaflets are narrow. Flowers purplifh. Le- 

 gumes cylindrical, hard, reddifll-brown. 



16. R. tragacanthoides. Tragacanthine Robinia. Willd. 

 n. 15. "Pall, in Nov. AcL Petrop. v. 10. 371. t. 7." — 

 Stalks fimple, fingte--ftowered. Leaves abruptly pinnate, 

 of two pair of oblong-lanceolate, lilky leaflets ; their com- 

 mon ftalks fpinous and permanent, as well as the itipulas. Le- 

 gume downy, fomewhat compreffed. — Native of granite 

 rocks in Siberia, beyond lake Baical. A Imall Jhrub, very 

 much branched. Branches downy, armed with ftrong, re- 

 curved, ftipulaceous_^>;«f.r. leaflets fmall, tapering at each 

 end, tipped with terminal, folitary thorns. Flowers yellow. 

 Legume cylindrical, (lightly compreffed. Willd. 



17. R. fbinofa. Thornv Robinia. Linn. Mant. 269. 

 Willd. n. 16. Ait. n. 8.' " Schmidt Arb. t. 36." (R. 

 ferox ; Pall. Roll. v. 1. p. 1. 70. t. 44.) — Stalks fingle- 

 flowered, very ihort. Leaves abruptly pinnate, of about 

 three pair of wedge-ihaped fmooth leaflets ; their common 

 ilalks fpinous and permanent, as well as the Itipulas. Le- 

 gume cylindrical. Native of moift gravelly vallies, as well 

 as of dry fandy hills, in Siberia. Hardy in our gardens, 

 flowering in April and May. Pallas reports, that it is fre- 

 quent about Pekin in China, where, being fixed with clay 

 on the tops of walls, it ferves to keep off intruders. The 

 long ftrong thorns, formed by the hardenedy'oo/^a//^, render 

 the bufhes of this fpecies excellent for hedges. They/cm/ 

 are as tall as a man, much branched. Leaflets oblong-wedge- 

 fliaped, hardly an inch in length. Flowers yellow, axillary, 

 either folitary or two or three together, each en a fimple 



Jlalh not half the length of its calyx. 



18. R. Halodendron. Salt-tree Robinia. Pall. It. v. 2. 

 append. 741. t. W. Rod. v. j. p. 1. 72. t. 46. Linn. 

 Suppl. 330. Willd. n. 17. Ait. n. 9. Curt. Mag. t. 1016. 

 — Stalks three-flowered. Leaves abruptly pinnate, of two 

 pair of lilky leaflets ; their common ftalks fpinous and per- 

 manent. Legume inflated. — Found by Pallas, in dry fait 

 fields, about the river Irtis, in Siberia, The late Dr. Pit- 

 cairn is mentioned as having firft imported it in 1779. This 



Jhrub is hardy with us, but feldom bloiloms, which is much 

 to be regretted on account of its beauty. Its thorny habit 

 nearly accords with the foregoing ; but the lea/lets are fewer, 

 larger, and filky, of a glaucous hue. Corolla of a delicate 

 rofe-colour. Legume ovate, inflated, an inch long, fcarcely 

 lefs different from the Caragana tribe, than from the original 

 Robinia ; yet no perfon who attends to natural genera could 

 think, of feparating this plant from the laft. 



19. R. Chamlagu. Shining Robinia. L'Herit. Stirp. 

 161. t. 77. Willd. n. 18. Ait. n. 10. — Stalks fingle- 

 flowered. Leaves abruptly pinnate, of two pair of obovate 

 fmooth leaflets ; their common ilalks fpinous. Stipulas 

 awl-ihaped, fpinous, permanent. Branches decumbent. — 

 Suppofed to be a native of China. It has long been culti- 

 vated in the French gardens, and was fent to Kew, in 1773, 

 by Monf. Richard. The fhrub is hardy, flowering in May 

 and June. The jlem, at firft erett, throws out long de- 

 cumbent branches. Leaves green, fmooth and mining ; each 

 leaflet tipped with a fmall briltly point. Flowers large, on 

 long, folitary, fimple Jlalks, pendulous, yelloiy ; the diJk 

 ef their Jiandard at fint green, afterwards deep red. The 

 young legume is cylindrical, but we have never feen it full- 

 grown. The Jootflalhs, though fpinous, are lefs hard and 

 permanent than in many ot the other fpecies. 



20. R. frutejeens. Bufli Robinia. Linn. Sp. PI. 1044. 

 Willd. n. 19. Ait. n. 11. Pall. Roff. v. 1. p. 1. 69. t. 43. 

 — Stalks fingle-flowered. Leaves of four, obovate, fmooth, 

 bridle-pointed, equal-ftalked leaflets. Branches afcending. 

 —Native of hills in the temperate parts of Siberia. Culti- 

 vated 



