70 
THE ERYTHRIN A LA U RIFOLI A. 
According to the Linnean classification of plants, it belongs to 
the 17th class and four Order Diadelphia Decandria. The com¬ 
pound word Diadelphia, is derived from the Greek words, dis, twice 
adelphos, a brother or brotherhood. This class comprises all such 
plants as are furnished with hermaphrodite flowers, that is, contain¬ 
ing both sexes in the same flower, having two sets or columns of 
united stamina, i. e. .united below into different bodies, the flowers 
are all papilionaceous, and have apparently ten stamina, hut which 
are in reality only two, one of which splits longitudinally, from the 
middle upwards, and terminates in about nine parts, appearing like 
so many distinct filaments, and the other stamen is simple or undi¬ 
vided, and lies closely along the fissure of the divided filament, which 
has generally as many anthera as divisions while the simple stamen 
has but one, and from the number of stamens and anthera, on both 
filaments, the orders are founded. 
The term Decandria originates from decay ten, aner, a man, which 
applies to all plants whose flowers contain Diadelphous stamina, fur¬ 
nished with ten anthera; 
According to the Jussieuean or Natural arrangement of plants, it 
belongs to the Order Leguminosae, Tribe Phaseolea under the sub¬ 
class Calyciflorae. This order contains all the various kinds of pulse 
and is one of the most familiar to the world, and at the same time, 
one of the most useful to mankind. 
Its characters are, Truncus, a tree, like woody stem, deciduous, arm¬ 
ed with spines, and furnished with ternate, petiolate leaves, produ¬ 
cing spikes of dark crimson flowers growing in threes, from the ax¬ 
illa of the leaves. Calyx monophyllus, tubulose, and entire. Co¬ 
rolla, papilionaceous, and pentapetalous. Vexillum, (standard,) spear 
shaped, and very long. Alee (wings,) oval, and very short. Carina 
(keel,) dipetalous. Stamina, ten diadelphous filaments with saggitate, 
(arrow-headed) anthera. Pistillum, a pediculated, subulated ger- 
men, slender style, and simple stigma. Pericarpium, a long swel¬ 
ling unilocular legumen or pod. Semina, reniform or kidney shaped. 
The compost I use for the cultivation of the Erythrina, is a light 
one, composed of 
One wheelbarrowfull of fresh maiden loam. 
One do. of sandy peat or heatli-mould. 
One do. of well decomposed hot bed dung. 
The soils and dung should he well incorporated together, and finely 
chopped, and also he well ameliorated with the frost of the preceding 
winter. 
In the spring, say the month of May, take the plants and cut the 
