518 
ON  THE  KINO  TREE  OP  WEST  AFRICA. 
liberis  dorso  tantutn  connatis  composite.  Stamina  8 — 10  mona- 
delpha,  inturdum  insequaliter  diadelpha,  nempe'  in  2  phalanges 
divisa,  aut  1  filamento  fere  ad  basin  segregato,  csetaris  inaequa- 
liter  connatis ;  antheris  ovato-oblongis,  dorso  affixis.  Ovarium 
lanceolatum,  apice  sinuosum,  villosum  biovulatum  stylo  glabro 
incurvo  et  stigmate  capitato  terminatum,  ovulis  longitudinaliter 
affixis.  Legumen  indehiscens,  stipitatum  compressimum,  mem- 
branaceum  brevet  velutinum,  margine  undulatum,  mucrone  brevi 
(stylo  vestigio)  lateraliter  instructum,  in  disci  centre  inflatum, 
ubique  setis  rigidis  spinescentibus,  rufescentibus  onustum,  bil- 
oculare,  interdum  abortu  uniloculare ;  loculis  monospermis,  dis- 
sepimento  transversali  sejunctis.  Semen  subreniforme,  com- 
pressum,  fuscum,  nitidum,  cotyledonibus  crassiusculis  radicula 
brevi  accumbenti. 
Floret  Februario  et  Martio ;  fructus  maturescunt  Maio  et 
Juno.  (Flor.  Senegamh.,  p.  228-9,  tab.  54.) 
Although  this  species  of  Pterocarpus  may  be  found  growing 
more  or  less  commonly  in  many  districts  of  the  Senegal,  Nunez, 
and  other  streams  of  West  Africa,  and  is  probably  indigenous 
to  most  of  the  inland  regions  through  which  they  wander,  yet 
the  Gambia  appears  to  be  chiefly  the  locale  where  it  most  exu- 
berantly flourishes.  On  the  upper  banks  of  this  river,  particu- 
larly where  the  kingdoms  of  Kataba  and  Nany  border  its 
course,  and  at  Kayi,  Lamain,  Pisanea,  and  the  adjacent  coun- 
tries, this  production  can  be  constantly  met  with,  and  in  fact 
constitutes  one  of  the  ordinary  forest  trees.  Prior  to  the  occu- 
pation of  Macarthy's  Island,  the  site  on  which  the  town  was 
erected  was  so  thickly  covered  by  this  wood  as  to  render  the 
clearance  difficult.  The  settlers,  however,  soon  ascertained  the 
value,  and  by  their  use  of  it  in  different  kinds  of  wooden- work, 
for  beams,  firewood,  and  in  the  construction  of  their  houses, 
gradually  diminished  its  propinquity,  so  that  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years  it  became  almost  extirpated,  and  has,  with  a  few  ex- 
ceptions, now  disappeared  from  the  island. 
The  tree  varies  in  altitude  according  to  the  situation ;  in  some 
places  rarely  exceeding  forty  feet,  while  in  others  more  favorably 
adapted  for  its  growth,  the  elevation  it  attains  is  seventy  feet 
and  upwards.  The  branches  are  spreading  and  somewhat  tor- 
tuous, and  are  clothed  with  light  green  leaves,  which  make  their 
