440 
XLIII. LEGUMINOS.E. 
[Rhynchosia. 
A considerable genus, dispersed over the warmer regions of the globe, especially S. America 
and Africa, with several Asiatic species, and a few in N. America. — Benth. 
Stems erect and shrubby. Leaflets minutely tomentose, slightly rugose. 
Peduncles slender, 1 or few-flowered. Keel obtuse. Seeds strophiolate 1. R. acutifolia. 
Stems trailing or twining. Flowers racemose. 
Pod falcate, much longer than broad. Seeds not strophiolate. 
Pod tomentose, depressed between the seeds. Leaflets mostly above 
2in. long. Calyx-lobes shorter than the tube 2. R. Cunningliamii. 
Pod nearly glabrous or hairy. Leaflets not much above lin. long. 
Calyx-lobes rather longer than the tube. 
Flowers scarcely above 3 lines long 3. R. minima. 
Flowers nearly 5 lines long 4. R. australis. 
1. R, acutifolia (leaves acute), F. v. ill. Herb, (tinder Atylosia) ; Benth. FI. 
Austr. ii. 266. Erect and shrubby but slender, minutely and closely tomentose 
or rarely softly pubescent. Leaflets ovate or ovate-lanceolate, f to lfin. long, 
almost acute or shortly acuminate, sometimes slightly rugose. Peduncles 
axillary, slender, bearing 2, 3 or few flowers in an irregular raceme. Pedicels at 
first short, often at length as long as the calyx and filiform. Flowers yellow, 5 
or 6 lines long. Calyx-lobes rather longer than the tube. Standard with 2 
callosities inside ; keel obtuse, but very much incurved. Ovules 2. Pod 
coriaceous not acuminate, minutely tomentose, slightly depressed between the 
seeds, 6 to 8 lines long, fully 3 lines broad. Seeds with a thick fleshy strophiole. 
Hab.: Queensland, F. v. Mueller. 
The species belongs to the section Ptychocentrum, W. and Am. , differing from the shrubby 
Atylosias of the section Scarabceoides in the 2 ovules. From the above-mentioned pod with the 
Gilbert River specimens it appears that there may be occasionally a third ovule as occurs also in 
R. minima ; but I found 2 only in all the ovaries I examined. — Benth. 
2. R, Cunninghamii (after Alan Cunningham), Benth. FI. Austr. ii. 266. 
Twining to a considerable length, shortly and softly pubescent or velvety. 
Leaflets broadly ovate-rliomboidal, acuminate, 2 to 4in. long, rather thin. 
Stipules subulate-acuminate, and stipelhe often present. Racemes axillary, not 
exceeding the leaves, the pedicels 2 to 4 lines long, often 2 together or the upper 
ones almost clustered. Calyx tomentose, 2 to 24 lines long, the lobes obtuse, 
shorter than the tube. Standard fully twice as long, slightly callous inside ; keel 
obtuse. Pod slightly falcate and shortly acuminate, slightly contracted between 
the seeds, nearly fin. long, fin. broad, densely tomentose and often also hairy, 
valves coriaceous. Seeds ovoid, bluish-black, the hilum short, lateral, without 
any strophiole. 
Hab.: Endeavour River, Banks and Solander ; N.E. coast, A. Cunningham; Moreton Bay, C. 
Stuart ; Mount Elliott and Thozet’s Creek, Fitzalan, Dallac.hy ; also in many parts of southern 
Queensland. In flower November ; seed ripe December. 
The species is very closely allied to the common S. American R. phaseoloides, DC., but besides 
some slight differences in the size of the flowers, the seeds in that species have usually, if not 
always, a large scarlet spot round the hilum. — Benth. 
3. R. minima (flowers small), DC. Prod. ii. 385 ; Benth. FI. Austr. ii. 267. 
Slender, trailing or twining, minutely tomentose or nearly glabrous. Leaflets 
broadly ovate-rhomboidal, mostly about lin. long when full-grown but often 
much smaller, with minute or without any stipellte. Stipules also very small or 
none. Racemes mostly longer than the leaves, bearing in their upper portion 
scattered pendulous yellow flowers rarely exceeding 3 lines in length, on very 
short pedicels ; in the lower axils the peduncles are sometimes very short and 
few-flowered. Calyx about 2 lines long, the lobes rather longer than the tube, 
the 2 upper ones united to the base or to the middle. Standard obovate, without 
callosities ; keel obtuse. Style slightly thickened upwards. Pod falcate, shortly 
acuminate or acute, narrowed at the base, 4 to nearly fin. long, shortly tomentose- 
pubescent. Seeds without any strophiole. — Mart. FI, Bras. Papil. t. 54. f. 2 ; 
