DESMANTHUS. 



Stem proftrate, comprefTed. Stamens five — Gathered in 

 rtagnant waters at Vera Cruz by Dr. Houftoun, who fent 

 feeds to Miller. The latter records that the Jlems, though 

 naturally floating, grew more ereft when the plant was cul- 

 tivated on dry ground. The root is annual, according to 

 Willdenow, Aiton, and Linnxus, who had this fpecies in 

 the ftove at Upfal. Stems herbaceous, fmooth, a little 

 zigzag, a foot or two in length, floating or decumbent, 

 (lightly branched. Leaves fenlitive, larger than thofe of 

 D. natans. Sttpulas acute, obliquely and broadly ovate. 

 Spikes as large as Common Clover, yellow, recurved, on 

 Jlalis nearly as long as the leaves, bearing two diftant, 

 ovate, flieathing IraSeas. Stamens but five, thofe of many 

 of the lower jloiuers changed to long lanceolate petal-like 

 leaves, which give the flowers a double appearance, and 

 render them truly fo, according to the analogy of flowers 

 in general. Hence the fpecific name given by Linna;us ; 

 but this circumilance is common to the whole genus of 

 Defmanthus, as above defcribed. In tliis and fimilar cafes 

 it feems beil to retain the original name, as indicating the 

 iirft; known fpecies, and therefore the hiftory of the genus. 

 The legume is drawn by Houftoun elliptic-oblong, flightly 

 curved, with a furrow, or double edge, along the back. 

 Seeds numerous, ovate. The lea-ves are fenfitive in this and 

 the three preceding. 



5. D. deprejfus. Deprefled Defmanthus. Willd. n. 5. 

 — " Thorns none. Firft divifion of the leaves of two pair ; 

 fecond of eight or ten pair of linear obtufe leaflets. Spikes 

 capitate, of a few decandrous flowers. Legumes linear. 

 Stem profl:rate." — Found by Humboldt and Bonpland, in 

 South America. Root woody, perennial. Stems feveral, 

 from a fpan to a foot long, dlff^ufe, fmooth ; branched and 

 round at the bottom ; obfcurely quadrangular above. Spikes 

 ftalked, without bradeas. Legume an inch and a half long, 

 pointed, with many feeds. Akin to the two following, as 

 to the fliape of the Jpike and of the legume, though eafily 

 diftinguifliable by the fpecific charafters. Willdenow. 



6. D. diffufus. Proftrate Defmanthus. Willd. n. 6. Ait. 

 n. 3. (Mimofapernambucana; Linn. Sp. PI. 1502. M. inermis 

 decumbens, foliis duplicato-pinnatis, fpicis cernuis, floribus 

 pentandrisjinferioribus caftratis ; Linn. Hort, Upf. 145. n.4. 

 M. americana pigra, filiquis longis anguftis, allium olentibus ; 

 Pluk. Amag. 252. t. 307. f. 3.) — " Thorns none. Firft divi- 

 fion of the leaves of four or five pair ; fecond of twelve pair. 



. Spikes capitate, of a few pentandrous flowers. Legume 

 linear. Stem proftrate." — Native of South America. Stem 

 fhrubby. Willdenow, who had examined dried fpccimens, 

 fays this fpecies is extremely fimiliar to the following, but 

 differs in having moft commonly five primary divifions in the 

 leaves, a proftrate T?!?"!, and only fiYeJlamens. We have never 

 feen the prefent fpecies, which probably has not appeared in 

 the gardens fince Miller's time, but we venture to transfer 

 the fynonym of Zanoni to the next, on account of the 

 upright ftem of his plant. Hence the Linnxan fpecific 

 name pernambucana, taken from Zanoni, becomes peculiarly 

 unfuitable, and is fortunately changed by Willdenow. 



7. D. virgatus- Upright Angular Defmanthus. Willd. 

 r. 7. Ait. n.4. (Mimofa virgata ; Linn. Sp. PI. 1502. 

 Jacq. Hort. Vind. v. i. 34. t. 80. M. fpuria di Pernam- 

 buco, detta Mimofa italica ; Zanon. Ift. 151. t. 60. M- 

 inermis, foliis duphcato-pinnatis, filiquis linearibus glabris ; 

 Linn. Hort. Cliff. 209.) — Thorns none. Firft divifion of 

 the leaves of four pair ; fecond of twelve pair. Spikes 

 capitate, of a few decandrous flowers. Legume linear. 

 Stem ereft, angular.— Native of South America, where 

 Jacquin obferved it in various places ; and not of the Ealt 

 Indies, Burraann's M. virgata being probably our D. 



natans, at leaft according to the fynonyms of Plukenet and 

 Rheede, cited by that author. The late profeflbr Jacquin 

 fent feeds of this prefent fpecies to Kew, in 1774, where 

 it flowers in the ftove in July and Auguft. His plant is 

 precifely that of Linmus, mentioned in the Hortus Cliffor- 

 tianus as of American origin, but confounded with feveral 

 other things in his Fl. Zeylanica, 216, n. 505. D. virgatut 

 has an eretl flirubby^cm, with wand-hke branches, angular 

 when young, but lefs fo as they become older. Stipulas 

 briftle-fliaped, with a round auricle. Common fooijlalks 

 with a round depreffed gland between the firft pair of 

 fubdivifions. Leaflets linear, obtufe, fringed, glaucous 

 beneath. Floiver-Jlalks the length of the leaves, ereft, 

 with fmall deciduous braSeas near the top. Heads flightly 

 drooping while young, pale or whitifli. Several of the lower- 

 moft Jlo'wers furniflied with ten linear, very narrow, almoft 

 thread-fliaped, abortive filaments, in the place of ftamens. 

 Anthers of the upper Jloivers roundifti, yellow. Legumes 

 about five from each head, almoft eredt, full two inches 

 long, linear, not one-eighth of an inch broad, acute, thick- 

 edged, fmooth. Seeds very numerous, elliptic-oblong, ob- 

 liquely difpofed in a central row. Miller's remark, cited 

 by Willdenow, after Linn. Mant. 2. 503, does not belong 

 to this fpecies, and is excluded by Linnaeus himfelf in his 

 MSS. Probably it may relate to D. plenus. 



8. D. punaatus. Spotted-ftalked Defmanthus. Willd. 

 n. 8. Ait. n. 5. ( Mimofa punftata ; Linn. Sp. PI. 1502. 

 M. frutefcens media inermis, fihquis compreilis falcatis et 

 umbellatis, pedunculo longiflimo ; Browne Jam. 253. 

 Aefchynomene mitis prima; Comm. Hort. v. I. 61. t. 31-) 

 — Thorns none. Firit divifion of the leaves of four or 

 five pair ; fecond of many. Spikes ovate. Flower-ftalks 

 brafteated at the bafe. Legume oblong, obtufe, wavy. — 

 Native of Jamaica, from whence it was introduced very 

 early into the European ftoves. Our fpecimen was fent 

 by Dr. Browne to Linnaeus. The_y?£'m is befprinkled with 

 fmall callous points. Branches angular. Leaves a fpan 

 long, with a gland on the common footjlalk between tlie 

 firft pair of wings. Leajlets about twenty pair, fenfitive, 

 hnear-oblong, fmooth, obtufe with a fmall point. Flower- 



Jlalks fcarcely fo long as the leaves, each bearing, near the 

 bafe, two large ovate, or heart -fliaped, bralteas. Spike 

 drooping, ovate, of numerous, crowded, pale Jlotuers, the 

 lower ones with thin lanceolate petals, in the place of the 

 ten Jlamens of the more abundant upper ones. Legumes 

 about three from each fpike, ftalked, horizontal, compreffed, 

 oblong, obtufe at each end, with a fmall terminal point ; 

 their length an inch and a half ; breadth one-third of an 

 inch. They betray an inchnation to fplit acrofs, like the 

 true Mimojk. Seeds about twelve, ovate. This fpecies 

 does indeed, as Willdenow obferves, much refemble D. 

 plenus; but is neverthelefs much too different to be con- 

 founded therewith. 

 Seft. 2. Thorny. 



9. D. cinereus. Afli-coloured Defmanthus. Willd. n. 9. 

 Ait. n. 6, ( Mimofa cinerea ; Linn. Sp. PI. 1505. Roxb. 

 Coromand. v. 2. 39. t. 174. M. n. 215 ; Linn. Fl. ZeyL 

 96. Acacia fpinofa, ex alis fpicata, fohis pennas avium 

 referentibus ; Burm. Zeyl. 3. t. 2. A. maderalpatana, 

 minutiffimis foliis, aculeis ferocibus, alternis, frondofa j 

 cortice itidem cinereo ; Pluk. Ahnag. 3. Phyt. t. 121. 

 f. 5.)— Branches becoming folitary fpines. Firil chviiion 

 of the leaves about nine pair ; fecond of many. Spikes 

 folitary, cyUndrical, drooping; tapering at the bafe. 

 Legumes linear, curved.— Native ot the Eall Indies; m 

 forefts and low barren lands, according to Dr. Roxburgh, 

 who obferves that the wood is remarkably hard, but, 



owing 



