145 
No. 24. 
Castanospermum australe, A. Cunn. 
The Black Bean. 
(Natural Order LEGUMINOS^E.) 
Botanical description.—Genus, Castanospermum , A. Cunn. 
Calyx-teetli. —Very short and broad. ___ 
Standard. —Obovate-orbicular, recurved, narrowed into a claw ; wings and keel-petals shorter 
than the standard, all free and nearly similar, erect, oblong. 
Stamens. —Ten, all free; anthers linear, versatile. 
Ovary. —On a long stipes, with several ovules, tapering into an incurved style. 
Stigma. —Small, terminal. 
Pod. —Large, coriaceous, almost woody, turgid, two-valved, spongy inside. 
Seeds. —Large, nearly globular ; cotyledons thick ; radicle scarcely prominent, straight. 
Tree : 
Leaves. —Large, unequally pinnate. 
Flowers. —Large, yellow to orange, and even red ; in loose axillary or lateral racemes. 
Bracts small; bracteoles none. 
Botanical description.—Species, C. australe, A. Cunn. in Hook. J3ot. Misc., 
i. 241, it, 51, 52. 
A tall glabrous tree. 
Leaves. —One to 1 }, feet long; leaflets 11 to 15, ovate-elliptical or broadly oblong, shortly 
acuminate, 3 to 5 inches long, shortly petiolulate. 
Racemes .—Under 6 inches long, either in the axils of the older leaves or on the leafless older 
wood ; pedicels nearly 1 inch long. 
Calyx. —About 8 lines long, including the turbinate base. 
Standard. —Above 1 inch diameter. 
Pod —8 or 9 inches long, about 2 inches broad, slightly falcate, almost terete, the valves hard 
and thick, the spongy substance inside dividing it into 3 to 5 cells, each containing a large 
chestnut-like seed. (B.F1. ii. 275). 
Var. brevivexillum, Bailey. 
This variety differs from the normal form in that its flowers are smaller and of a canary yellow, and 
the standard shorter than the wings and keel-petals, of nearly the form of these, and but slightly 
recurved. Stamens nearly straight. (Queensland Agric. Journ. Vol. 1 , where an illustrative plate is given). 
A 
