BLUNT LEAVED INGA. 
39 
length of the calyx, 5-cleft towards the summit, the seg- 
ments acute. Filaments numerous, slender and capillary, 
yellow, three times the length of the corolla. Legume 
torulose, spirally twisted, of a reddish-purple colour; 
seeds 5 or 6, black, shining, roundish, compressed, half 
covered with a white fleshy arillus-like pellicle. 
This plant has the credit of being a sovereign remedy 
for nephritic complaints, for the stone and grave], and 
also for obstructions of the liver. The bark is the part 
employed, and Barham states (in his account of Jamaica, 
where this tree grows) that in his time it was in such 
general use, that it was rare to meet with a tree that 
had not been barked. The decoction, of a red colour, 
is very astringent, and acts as a diuretic. It has also 
been employed externally as a lotion and injection, to 
remove the relaxation of the parts. Upon the whole, it 
would seem to be entitled to the notice of physicians, 
and deserves a further examination. 
Plate LIY. 
A branch of the natural size. a. The flower somewhat en- 
larged. 
