454 
XLIII. LEGUMINOSiE. 
[ Cassia . 
perfect or 2 or 8 lower ones larger or on longer filaments, and 3 or 4 upper ones 
reduced to small staminodia ; anthers when perfect opening at the end in pores 
or in short lateral slits. Ovary with several ovules, incurved, tapering into a 
short style. Pod cylindrical or flat, indehiscent or 2-valved. Seeds oblong or 
oboyate, transverse, with fleshy albumen ; cotyledons flat or rarely folded, usually 
cordate ; radicle short, straight. — Trees shrubs or herbs. Leaves abruptly 
pinnate, the leaflets opposite. Flowers yellow or very rarely reddish-purple or 
white, in axillary or terminal racemes or solitary. Bracts usually deciduous. 
Bracteoles none. 
A large genus, widely distributed within the tropical and subtropical regions of both the New 
and the Old World, but particularly numerous in America. Of the Queensland ones, many are 
endemic. The genus is divided into several sections, founded chiefly upon the fruit; but as 
some are only represented in Australia by single species, and the perfect pod rarely accompanies 
the specimens, the chief divisions in the following synopsis are, for convenience, selected also 
from other characters. — Benth. (in part). 
A. Flowers in pedunculate racemes or umbels, either axillary or forming a terminal panicle or 
compound raceme. (The Australian species all shrubs or trees). 
Stamens 7 perfect, of which 2 or 3 lower ones larger or on longer 
filaments ; 3 small and imperfect staminodia. 
Lower stamens with long filaments and short ovate anthers, the other 
perfect ones with oblong-linear anthers. Pod very long and thick, 
with horizontal seeds (Cathartocarpus) 1 . C. Breusteri. 
Perfect anthers all oblong-linear, the lower ones longer. 
Racemes short, almost corymbose, axillary or in a narrow terminal 
panicle. Pod thick or turgid. Seeds mostly horizontal. 
(Chamaefistula.) 
Leaflets 4 to 5 pairs. Petiole with obtuse gland near base. 
Pod flattened (Annual) 2. C. occidentalis. 
Pod with a broad longitudinal wing on each valve 3. C. alata. 
Leaflets 3 or 4 pairs, with glands between those of each pair, but 
none on the petiole below 4. C. Icevigata. 
Leaflets 4 to 10 pairs, with a gland at the base of the petiole, but 
none between the leaflets 5. C. Sopliera. 
Racemes elongated, on long axillary peduncles. Bracts large, 
deciduous. Pod very flat. (Chamssenna.) 
Glabrous. Leaflets 4 to 8 pairs, large, broad, very obtuse, reticu- 
late. Stipules ovate. Bracts broad, obtuse 6. C. magnifolia. 
Pubescent. Leaflets 9 to 15 pairs, oblong or ovate, obtuse, 
mucronate. Stipules ovate-cordate, acuminate, rigid. Bracts 
broad, obtuse 7. C. venusta. 
Pubescent. Leaflets 9 to 15 pairs, ovate-lanceolate, acute, 
mucronate. Stipules narrow. Bracts acuminate 8. C. notabilis. 
Glabrous. Leaflets 4 or 5 pairs, oblong-linear. Stipules small, 
subulate. Bracts broad, obtuse 9. C. pleurocarpa. 
Stamens 10, all with oblong-linear perfect anthers, all equal or the lower 
ones rather longer. (Psilorhegrma.) 
Glands between the leaflets (at least of the lowest pair) oblong, subulate 
or stipitate, very rarely wanting. 
Bracts acuminate. 
Glabrous or minutely pubescent. Leaflets 6 to 10 pairs, obovate. 
Bracts lanceolate, often rather broad 10. C. glauca. 
Softly pubescent. Leaflets 4 to 6 pairs, obovate or cuneate, mostly 
emarginate. Bracts very narrow 11. C. retusa. 
Bracts small, broad, obtuse. Leaflets oblong-lanceolate or linear. 
Leaflets usually 6 to 10 pairs 12. C. australis. 
Leaflets usually 3 to 5 pairs 13. C. Cliatelainiana. 
Glands between the leaflets sessile, flat, obscure or none (ovoid in C. 
leptoclada). 
Glabrous or glaucous. Stipules leafy, semicordate. Leaflets usually 
3 to 5 pairs 14. C. pruinosa. 
Glabrous, glaucous, hoary, or wbite-tomentose. Stipules small, 
subulate, or none. Flowers in very short corymbose racemes. 
Leaves all simple, phyllodineous. Glands none or on the upper 
edge about the middle. 
Leaves usually slender and green. Peduncles 1 or 2-flowered. 
Pod very much curved or annular 15. C. circinata. 
