Leguminosae. 1 19 
The Ivi is a very peculiar tree and its position in the natural 
order of plants is doubtful and has puzzled the botanists consider- 
ably. The flowers are not papilionaceous and the fruit is not a gen- 
uine legume but a drupe. The coriaceous leaves are simple, another 
fact which estranges this plant from the family Leguminosae. 
There are a few trees of this species cultivated in Airs. Mary E. 
Foster's grounds. 
It is a native of Fiji and other south Polynesian islands, ranging 
to New Guinea and the Indian Archipelago, where it reaches a height 
of sixty to eighty feet. 
The seed is baked or boiled and eaten without further prepara- 
tion, or grated is made into pudding or bread. The bark is astringent. 
It is stated in the records of the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural 
Society that it was first planted by G. Wundenberg at Hanalei, 
Kauai", in 1849. 
Erythrina indica Lam. 
Foreigx or Indian Wiliwili. 
Tiger's Claw, Indian Coral Tree. 
Plate L. 
The Erythrina indica, the generic name being derived from the 
Greek word red, alluding to the bright red flowers, is a deciduous 
tree reaching a height of forty-five feet ; the branches and branchlets 
are stout, and armed with many sharp prickles ; the leaflets, of which 
there are three in a leaf, have a broad base and are nearly triangular 
in outline ; the racemes are terminal and bear numerous large red 
flowers before the appearance of any foliage. The pods are four to 
eight inches long and contain several dark carmine colored seeds the 
size of a bean. It is a moderate-sized, quickly growing tree, occurring 
throughout India from the foot of the Himalayas into Burmah, but 
now cultivated all over the tropics. In Honolulu numerous trees of 
this species are grown in various gardens and in private grounds. 
In India the red flowers are dried and after having been boiled 
yield a red dye; the bark is also employed for dyeing and tanning 
purposes, as well as yielding an excellent fibre of a pale straw color. 
Medicinally the bark is used as a febrifuge and also as a collyrium 
in opthalmia, while the juice of the leaves is considered a good ca- 
thartic and is employed similarly to the bark in conjunctivitis. 
The wood of the Indian Coral Tree, though open-grained and 
very light, is durable and does not split or warp. It is used for 
boxes, toys, trays, etc., and is also good for firewood. Much of the 
