LEGUMINOS/E. 
337 
Sect. 1. Calycine sepals obtuse. Anthers ovate , bi- 
rimose at the apex. Legumes terete , multilocular 
with transverse partitions ; cells filled with pulp : 
seeds horizontal. 
1. * Cassia Brasiliana ? Horse Cassia. 
Leaflets 10-20-paired ovali-oblong equal at the 
base submucronate at the apex puberulous above softly 
tomentose-hairy beneath, younger leaves tomentose, 
racemes axillary shorter than the leaf, legumes com- 
pressed rugose very long. — De Cand. 
Cassia nigra sen fistulosa secunda sive Cassia fistula Brasili- 
ana, Sloane, II. 44?— C. foliis plurirnis oblongis pinnatis, flore 
rubello, siliquis maximis, crassioribus, trinerviis, Browne, 2*23 ? 
— C. Javan ica, Lunan' s IJort. Jam. I. 383 ? 
HAB. Cultivated. 
FIj. January — March. 
2. Cassia fistula. Purging Cassia. 
Leaflets 4-6-paired ovate subacuminate glabrous 
eglandulose, racemes lax ebracteated, legumes terete 
straight subobtuse glabrous. 
Gcertn. Fruct. II. t. 147. f. 1. — Woodville, Mid. Bot. t. 163. 
— Lam. Bot. 111. t. 332. — Lunan s Hurt. Jam. I. 164. 
HAB. Not indigeqous. Common in low warm situations. 
FL. April. 
This tree varies in size: it is sometimes low and irregular; 
at other times lofty and spreading, from 40—50 feet in height. 
The leaflets are in some specimens distinctly acuminate. Ra- 
cemes subsimple, pendulous, making their appearance in the 
spring, when the old leaves are shed, and previous to the 
development of the new ones. The flowers are large, showy, 
yellow, and slightly fragrant. 
This is a native of the East Indies, introduced into the warmer 
parts of America, where it is now naturalized. The pods are 
commonly exposed for sale in the Kingston market. The pulp 
is of a shining brownish-black colour, and of a sweet taste. 
It has the smell of decayed fruit; is viscid and soluble in 
water. An extract is prepared by bruising the pods with the 
seeds, dissolving in boiling water, straining through a horse- 
hair sieve, and reducing by boiling to a proper consistence. 
The dose is about an ounce or two of the extract, or double the 
quantity of the pulp. It acts as a mild laxative, very pleasant 
to the taste, and very gentle in its operation. It is contra- 
vol. i. z 
