146 
XXX. LEGUMINOS^E 
2. Flemingia vestita, Benth. ; FI. Br. Ind. ii. 230. Pubes- 
cent or hairy ; root tuberous ; stems trailing, 1-2 ft. Leaves of 
3 nearly sessile leaflets ; leaflets ovate, ljxl in. Flowers bright 
red, £ in. long, in small clusters at the end of long, axillary stalks. 
Calyx and corolla hairy. Keel strongly incurved, acute. Style- 
tip hairy. Pod \ in., enclosed in the calyx ; seed solitary. 
Simla, on grassy slopes ; August, September. — Himalaya, Simla to Assam. 
The root is edible. 
38. DALBERGIA. In honour of Nicholas Dalberg, a Swedish 
botanist, who died in 1820. — Widely spread in tropical regions. 
Dalbergia Sissoo, Roxb. ; FI. Br. Ind. ii. 231. A tree ; young 
parts pubescent. Leaves pale green, odd-pinnate ; leaflets 3 or 
5, alternate, broadly ovate, 1-3 X f— 2 £ in., entire, abruptly pointed, 
terminal one stalked. Flowers sessile, yellow-white, £ in. long, 
in short, axillary panicles. Calyx bell-shaped ; teeth 5, short, the 
2 upper united, lowest the longest. Petals much longer than the 
calyx ; standard ovate ; keel nearly straight, obtuse. Stamens 9, 
all united, tube split along the upper side. Ovary hairy ; style 
short, thick, glabrous ; stigma capitate. Pod long-stalked, thin, 
glabrous, strap-shaped, 1J-4 X £-J in. ; seeds 2-4. 
Sutlej valley ; March-June. — Throughout India, ascending to 4000 ft. 
A valuable timber tree ; widely planted. Wood suitable for nearly all 
purposes. Native name, Shisfiam or Sissoo. 
39. SOPHORA. Origin of name obscure. — Most warm and 
temperate regions. 
Sophora mollis, Grah. ; FI. Br. Ind. ii. 251. An erect shrub, 
3-4 ft. Leaves pale green, odd-pinnate, 5-10 in. ; leaflets 21-41, 
ovate, in., nearly sessile, entire. Flowers yellow, appearing 
with the young leaves, nearly £ in. long, crowded in short, axillary 
racemes. Calyx tubular, £ in. ; teeth 5, short, blunt, the 2 upper 
united, often obscure. Petals nearly equal ; standard broadly 
obovate, spreading. Stamens all free ; anthers versatile. Style 
incurved, glabrous ; stigma minute. Pod stalked, glabrous, 3-4 
in., consisting of 4-6 one-seeded, 4-winged joints contiguous or 
separated by linear constrictions sometimes nearly an inch long. 
Sutlej valley ; March, April. — N. India, ascending to 6000 ft. 
40. CiESALPINIA. In honour of Andreas Cesalpini, professor of 
medicine at Pisa in the sixteenth century. He was the first botanist 
to classify plants by the flowers and seeds. — Most warm regions. 
Caesalpinia Sepiaria, Roxb. ; FI. Br. Ind. ii. 256. A prickly, 
climbing shrub. Leaves 2-pinnate, 10-18 in. ; leaflets 16-24, 
opposite, nearly sessile, oblong, £-1 in., obtuse. Flowers yellow, 
