200 »NTRIBUTTON8 PROM THE NATIONAL BERBABITJM. 



compressed, with incrassate BUturee, 2 valved, valves with a prominent nerve on both 

 sides near the margin, or winged near the lower suture; seeds obliquely oblong. Twin- 

 ing or prostrate herbs or undershrubs; leaves pinnate; leaflets 3, rarelj some 

 times 90 close together that they appear . 1 1 lt i i ii t « • : stipules persistent, striate; flowers 

 showy, often large, whitish, rose-colored, violet, or bluish, on axillary peduncles, I to 

 numerous; lower bracts of the same form as the stipules, in pain or connate above, 

 bearing I or 2 flowers in the axils; bracteoles appressed to the calyx, striate, larger than 

 the bracts. 



The genus « lentrosema Btrongl) resembles < litoria in habit, bul can be distinguished 

 from ii by the spurred standard ami the much shorter calyx. 



K Bl I " I ll l 9PB< n B. 



Upper calyx segments much shorter than the tube. 



\ es 16 to 27.5 cm. long, i turning Mack in drying; terminal 

 leaflel 8.5 to 12 cm. long, broadly ovate; bracteoles ovate, 

 twice as long as the calyx; calyx teeth very short . unequal; 

 pod 15 cm. long, 11 t<> 13 aim. wide; ribs of the legume 

 valves prominulous, 3.3 nun. distant from tin- margin; 

 cor<»lla white, variegated with bright purple and yellow. 1. C. plumieri. 

 Upper calyx segments longer, rarely a little shorter, than the tube. 



The upper calyx segments equal to the tube, connected below 

 i he summit, inferior calyx lobe longer than the tube; leaf- 

 lets 5 to :.."> cm. long, 2.5 to 3.7 cm. wide, ovate: bracteoles 

 ovate, a- long as the calyx; pod 5 to 6.5 mm. wide, the ribs 

 of the legume valves 2.2 mm. from the margin. 2. ('. pubescent. 



The upper calyx segments longer than the tube, free or con- 

 nate at the base; leaflets :'.."» to 5 cm. long, L.8 to 2.5 cm. 

 wide; bracteoles ovate, somewhat exceeded by the calyx: 

 pod 4.4 mm. wide; ribs of the legume valves juxtamarginal. :'». ft virginianum. 



I. Centrosema plumieri (Tnrp. i P.enlh." 



(Urban, ::<>(>., 



Stem twining, suffrutescent at the base; peduncle 2 or 3- (rarely •"> or 6-) flowered; 

 calyx ii.") mm. long; Btandard spurred above the calyx. 1 cm. in diameter, orbicular; 

 wings narrowly oblong, falcate, shorter than the standard: keel large, broader and 

 shorter than the wings; legume L5 cm. long, I.:'. cm. wide, erect or slightly curved. 



Near Bayamon in thicket-. Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, St. Thomas, St. Kit is (Grisebach I, 

 Antigua, Martinique. St. Vincent. Grenada, Trinidad (Grisebach). Indigenous in 

 tropica] America. 



Centrosema plumieri is common on fences in the West Indies. The leaflets and 

 flowers are larger than those of the other two species of Centrosema found in Porto Rico. 

 The roots contain a volatile oil and a resin that is much used in popular medicine. 



Local name, <<>/i<hit<i <l< Plumier (Cook and Collins 



2. Centrosema pubescens Benth.& 

 (Urban, 300. 

 Stem twining; flowers Pew, a1 the apex of the peduncle, yellow; calyx 6.5 to 1 1 mm- 



deep; Standard 2.5 cm. ill diameter: keel wide, incurved; pod 1") to '_!<) cm. long, "> to 



(;.■"> mm. wide. 



and Collins, p. 94, a- Bradburya plumieri. 

 bCook and Collins, p. 94, a- Bradburya pubescens. 



