Leguminosae. 79 
the lowest and uppermost pinnae. The calyx is puberulous and 
more than half as long as the corolla. The numerous white stamens 
are united at the base. The pod is repand, forming a complete cir- 
cle, the rounded top touching the rounded base, it is one and a half 
to nearly two inches broad with the basilar sinus closed. The whole 
fruit is consequently three to four inches in diameter. It is dark- 
brown and has a polished appearance. 
This very quickly growing tree is quite common in Honolulu, 
where large specimens can be seen on King Street in Thomas 
Square, in the Government Nursery grounds and elsewhere. It de- 
serves to be planted more commonly than heretofore owing to its 
quick growth and its value as a shade tree. 
It is a native of Jamaica and Venezuela whence it was intro- 
duced into many tropical countries. 
The bark of this tree contains tannin and the wood is used for 
building or construction purposes. 
Pithecolobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth. 
Opiuma (Hawaiian name). Manila Tamarind. 
Plate XXXII. 
The Opiuma, as the Hawaiians call the tree, is of medium height 
with a rather short trunk. The ultimate branches of the tree are 
pendulous and are armed with short, sharp spines ; the leaves are 
two-pinnate — that is, each pinna consists of a single pair of leaflets ; 
the flowers are white in dense globose heads and arranged along the 
slender branchlets; the dehiscent pod is twisted, often spiral, the 
valves turning red when ripe; it contains six to eight seeds which 
are surrounded by a whitish, sweet, edible pulp. The pods which 
ripen from April to June are good fodder for animals. 
This tree yields a transparent gum of a polished appearance and 
a deep reddish brown color. This gum is soluble in water and 
forms a brownish mucilage. The seeds yield a fatty oil as thick 
as that of the castor bean, but its properties have not been determined. 
The sap wood is small, the heart wood is reddish brown and smells 
very unpleasant when freshly cut and is of little value ; it is used 
for crates and packing boxes, and is also grown for fuel. It makes 
a good avenue tree, and is also suitable as a hedge plant. The bark 
contains about 25% of tannin and is one of the principal sources of 
that material in Mexico. 
