166 



CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



The five Porto Rican Bpecies oi thin genus belong to four different sections I 

 bonduc and C. critta are included in section 1. Guilandina. They are aculeate, 

 Bcandent shrubs with membranous leaflets and echinate legum< 



a belongs to Bection 3, Sappania. It is a prickly climbing shrub with 

 thai are as long as wide, and glabrous legumes. 



. shrub with beautiful fragrant flowers, is contained in Bection 4, 

 Caesalpinaria. The long-exserted anthers and small membranous leaflets are also 

 noticeable. 



rorthy of notice on account of its minute leaflets and lanceolate 

 legumes, is included in Bection 6, Erythrostemon. 



KEl l I - l Ml SPl CIE8. 



Flowers rather small with Bubsessile bracts, in spikes; petiole 

 with prickles; legume with prickles. 

 With stipules; bracts oi the pedicels horizontal, curved; 



Beeds lead-celi. red. 1. I 



Without Btipules; bracts of the pedicels erect: seed- yellow. 2. C. bonduc. 

 Flowers large, long-stipitate, without bracts, in Bhowy racemes; 

 legume without prickles. 

 Petioles with prickles; leaves pil 3. C 



Petioles without prickles; leaves glabrous. 



Flowers' showy, yellow; pedicels and petioles glandular; 



legume glandular. . •}. C. giU ■ 



Flowers showy. Bcarlet; pedicels and petioles glabrous*; 

 legume glabrous. 5. C. pulcher 



1 . Caesalpinia crista L. 



(Urban, 278. 



Shrub, Bcandent, 4 meter- high, aculeate; leaves bipinnate; leaflet- 8 to 12-jugate, 

 ovate to ovate-oblong, i' to 6 cm. long, shortly and obtusely acuminate, membranous 

 or Bubchartaceous; Btipules conspicuous, cut into large segment.-; bracts beneath the 

 hud- horizontal or curved; (lowers rusty yellow, calyx lobes 7 mm. long: petals ovate- 

 oblong, 1 cm. long; legume oblique, •"> to 7.5 cm. long. 3.5 cm. wide, turgid: Beeds 

 lead-colored. 



In coast districts near Bayamon; near Humacao, in copses at Puma Candelero; 

 near Patillas, around < luardaraya: near (iuanica. in thickets at Salinas; tear M.iya- 

 guez at Guanajibo.- -Bermuda Eemsley . Florida Key-. Bahama, Cuba, Jamaica. 

 Haiti. St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John. St. Martin Stockholm Herbarium), St. Bar- 

 tholomew, Guadeloupe, Dominica (Grisebach), Martinique, St. Vincent, fcfustique 

 i Kew Bull. no. 81, ]>. 248 . Barbados, Grenada. Tropics of Asia, Africa, and Amer- 

 ica. Australia, and New Guinea. 



Every pari "t" the plant (root, leaves. Beeds, hark) is valuable medicinally. There 

 appear- to be a difference of opinion regarding the properties of the root-, hut all 

 authors agree in extolling the virtues of the Beed. For making bracelets, necklaces, 

 and rosaries the Beeds are much used, and in BOme countries the children use them 

 for marbli 



1 name-, mato <l playa, mato azvil. Cuba, guaoaloU i>ri<t<> (Law, Morales . 

 St. Thomas, gray nickari ; St. <"roix. nicbart West ; Guadeloupe, canxqyu 



■ 'til (1, chat (Duchassaing, Duss); Martinique, yeuz de chal (Dues, Halm 

 nada, horse-eye, quashi (Broadway). 



