SPECIES OF CASSIA WHICH YIELD SENNA. 
185 
a half high, — its stem which is pubescent at base, is cylindri- 
cal, the leaves are alternate, composed of from four to seven 
pair of folioles, opposite, almost sessile, oboval, cuneiform, very 
obtuse, somewhat mucronate, thin below and inequilateral. 
They are slightly pubescent, of a yellowish green colour and 
having at the foot of the main stalk two subulate entire per- 
sistent stipules. The flowers are pale yellow, and are dis- 
posed in clusters upon the peduncles, which are axillary, and 
longer than the leaves. The pods or legumes, which from 
their foliaceous appearance have been erroneously named fol- 
liculi, are flattened and are from twelve to fifteen lines long 
and five or six broad; they are curved so as almost to be remi- 
form, and are of a greenish brown colour. On each side are 
to be observed small transverse elevations corresponding to 
the seed, and covered with a minute pubescence requiring 
the aid of the glass to be detected. The seeds are black, 
heart-shaped, and not inaptly compared to the seeds of raisins. 
Lamarck has almost as fully entered into these details as the 
later writers, and as he is the first who presents a satisfactory 
systematic account of this species, it is highly creditable to 
this accomplished author. It is not our intention in this paper 
to enter into the details of locality, commercial preparation 
and history of the Sennas, as they can be obtained from most 
of the books upon Pharmacy, and Materia Medica. The Na- 
tional Dispensatory of Drs. Wood and Bache contains all 
that is known upon these points. 
Synonymes of Cassia foliis obtusis. 
Cassia Senna var. subovatis. Lin. Willd. 
Cassia obovata. Colladon. 
Senna Italica. Morrison. 
Senna belledy (wild.) Nectoux. 
Nectoux has given an excellent figure of this species, 
drawn by H. S. Redoute whose skill in delineating plants is 
unrivalled. 
MM. Merat and De Lens have made a new species which 
they call C. ovata. They assert that they have detected it 
in the bales of Senna from Tripoli brought to Marseilles. We 
VOL. II. — no. in. 24 
