
ORDEAL BEAN OF CALABAR. 309 
given to me for examination. By means of them, I have been able to make out 
fully the characters of the plant. After doing so, I was favoured with the use of 
a letter from Mr THomson to Mr Murray, in which he gives the characters he had 
noticed in the living plant. These are remarkably well detailed, and point out 
Mr Tuomson as a very good botanical observer, and one who is likely to add to 
our information relative to the Flora of Africa. It is pleasing to observe that all 
the missionaries at Old Calabar have a taste for natural science. They have 
already contributed many valuable zoological and botanical species. May they 
long be spared to carry on their noble evangelizing efforts and their natural 
history pursuits. 
The ordeal bean has been found to belong to the natural order Leguminose, 
the sub-order Papilionacece, and the tribe Phaseolew, and it appears to constitute 
anew and distinct genus. It is curious to find, that among the papilionaceous 
plants, which yield our edible beans, peas, and pulse of various kinds, there 
should occur many poisonous genera and species. Among them may be noticed 
Coronilla varia; the seeds and bark of Laburnum; seeds of Lathyrus Cicera, 
and of Lathyrus Aphaca,; the root of Phaseolus multiflorus, or the scarlet 
runner, and of Phaseolus radiatus; the bark of the root of Piscidia erythrina, 
or Jamaica dogwood; the branches and leaves of Tephrosia toxicaria (the 
two latter plants being employed as fish-poisons); Gompholobium uncinatum, 
which is said to have poisoned sheep in the Swan River Colony; and the plant 
now under consideration. The Calabar bean-plant seems to be closely allied to 
Phaseolus, and it has also many characters in common with Vigna, Dolichos, and 
Lablab, all of which genera belong to the tribe Huphaseolee of BentHAM. The 
legumes which were given to me by Mr Baruuie and by Mr Hewan have an 
apparent resemblance to those of Mucuna. This induced Mr Murray, in a com- 
munication to the Botanical Society, to refer the plant to this genus, under the 
name of Jucuna venenosum. Mr Murray was confirmed in his opinion by the 
character of the seeds. He had not seen the flowers. 
The character by which the plant seems to be specially characterised is the stigma, 
which has a remarkable crescentic or hooded appendage (Plate XVL., figs. 6 and 7). 
On this account I have proposed to call the genus Physostigma, from gueée, to 
inflate, and ora, applied to the upper part of the style. It will be placed close 
to Phaseolus, from which it differs in the stigma, and in the long grooved hilum 
of the seed. In the last character it approaches Mucuna. The spirally twisted 
carina and style of Phaseolus does not occur in Physostigma. To the species I 
have given the name of venenosum, in allusion to its poisonous qualities. I trans- 
mitted specimens of the flower to my friend and former pupil Dr THomas ANDER- 
son, of her Majesty’s Indian Service, who is now engaged in examining the Indian 
Acanthacee in the Hookerian Herbarium at Kew. He kindly examined the speci- 
mens, and compared them with the allied plants in the herbarium. He informs 
VOL. XXII. PART II. 4k 
