PULSE FAMILY. 101 



many-seeded, tne upper or seed-bearing suture margined. Trees or shrubs. 

 Leaflets petiolulate. stipellate : base of the leaf- stalks enlarged, covering 

 the buds of the ensuing year. 



L R. Pseud-aca'cia, Branches virgate, armed with stipular prickles ; 

 leaflets obiong-ovate ; racemes loose, drooping ; legumes smooth. 

 False-acacia Eobixli. Locust-tree. 



stem 30 - 60 or SO feet high, and 1-2 feet in diameter. Leaflets 3 or 4-8 or 9 pairs, 1-2 

 inches long, each with a small subulate stijpd at base ; common petiole pinnate nearly to 

 the base, with 2 stout prickles in place of stipules. Eacemes3-6 inches long. Corolla 

 white. Z€^7n« 2-3 inches long. 



Mountain forests : Pennsylvania to Arkansas. H. May- June. Fr. September.' 



Obs. The Locust-tree, though generally found in the Middle and 

 Eastern States, is only truly indigenous in the Western and Southern 

 portions of the Union. It attains its greatest perfection in Kentucky 

 and Tennessee, where it reaches to the height of 90 feet, with a diameter 

 of 4 feet. The timber is one of the most valuable, whether for strength 

 or durability ; in the former quahty it ranks but little below the oak, 

 while its resistance to decay, even when exposed to the most destructive 

 influences, exceeds that of the wood of any other of our forest-trees. It 

 is largely employed in ship building, and is preferred to any other wood 

 for treenails, as the pins are called which fasten the planks to the frame 

 of the vessel. For posts, rail-road ties or sleepers, «tc., it is invaluable. 

 The Locust is often planted as an ornamental tree ; it has a graceful 

 habit, and is highly — even oppressively — fragrant, when in flower. The 

 disadvantages attending its culture about dwellings are, the readiness 

 with which its branches are broken by the winds, the many suckers its 

 roots send up, and the numerous insects that live upon it. Indeed, so 

 many insects prey upon this tree, that in some localities it seldom attains 

 any great size. It is said that when the trees are planted closely, so as 

 to form Locust Griyves. they are much less liable to the attacks of worms 

 than when they grow singly. Considering the value of the timber and 

 the rapidity of its growth, even on light and poor land, the culture of 

 the Locust is worthy of much more attention than it has yet received at 

 the hands of our farmers. The Clammy Locust (R. visco'sa, Vent.) is 

 inferior in size and value ; it has the branches clothed with viscid glands, 

 and is found on the southern borders of Virginia, and further South. 

 The Rose Acacia (R. Ms'pida, L.) is a shrub 3-8 feet high, with large 

 rose-colored flowers. It is often cultivated, but is inclined to spread and 

 become troublesome if not kept within bounds. * 



6. WISTA'EIA, Nutt. Wistael^.. 



[Xamed for Prof. Caspar Wisiar. of the University of Pennsylvania.] 



Calyx campanulate, somewhat 2-lipped ; the upper lip of 2 short teeth ; 

 the lower of 3 longer ones. Standard large, with 2 callosities at base ; 

 keel scythe-shaped ; wings with one or two auricles at base. Pod stipi- 

 tate, elongated, nearly terete, knobby, many-seeded. Twining shrubs 



