[Plate 52.] 



THE ASOCA. 



(JONESIA ASOCA.) 



A Stove Tree, Native of the East Indies, belonging to Leguminous Plants. 



^pectftc C&aracter. 



THE ASOCA. —A tree. Leaves in three to five pairs, with smooth lanceolate wavy acuminate leaflets rather acute at 

 the base. Flowers in terminal fasciculate corymbs, hexandrous. 



Jonesia Asoca, Roxburgh in Asiatic Researches, vol. iv., p. 355. 



THIS beautiful tree, with glowing fragrant flowers, blossomed at Chatsworth in the 

 aquatic house, whence our specimen was obtained. It is a native of various parts of 

 the East Indies, where it is also much cultivated in gardens. Roxburgh says it is — 



" Found in gardens about Calcutta, where it grows to be a very handsome, middling- 

 sized, ramous tree. Flowering time, the beginning of the hot season ; seeds ripen during 

 the rains. The plants and seeds were, I am informed, originally brought from the interior 

 parts of the country, where it is indigenous/' 



Sir W. Jones himself, after whom the genus was named, states that — 



" The number of stamens varies considerably in the same plant; they are from six 

 to seven, to eight or nine, but the regular number seems eight — one in the interstices 

 of the corol (calyx), and one before the centre of each division. Most of the flowers, 

 indeed, have one abortive stamen, and some only mark its place, but many are 

 perfect, and Van Rheede speaks of eight as the constant number ; in fact, no part 

 of the plant is constant. Flowers fascicled, fragrant just after sunset and before sunrise, 

 when they are fresh with evening and morning dew ; beautifully diversified with tints of 



