Cassiinae pt 1 NY-Botanical_gardens_Vol. 35_1 - Copy.pdf - Antbase

46 MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN [VOL. 35
Perhaps the handsomest of the American cassias, C. leptophylla is readily
recognized by the large fragrant golden-yeUow flowers corymbosely arranged at
the end of leafy branchlets, by the gready elongate pedicels, the nodular sigmoid
filaments (reminiscent of pink-flowered C. javanica) and the massive four-angled
pod. The extratropical dispersal suggests that wider use of C. leptophylla might
be made in warm temperate gardens.
vn. ser. OBOLOSPERMAE Irwin & Barneby
Cassia ser. Obolospermae Irwin & Barneby, ser. nov., leguminis locuhs 1-seriaris
disco suberoso semen nidulanri farcris praestantes.—Sp. typica: C.
javanica Linnaeus.
Bracts and bracriets persistent into anthesis; anthers of 4 fertUe antepetalous
stamens subhorizontally versatUe; seeds transverse 1-seriate, each enveloped in
a dry suberous disc detached when ripe from the walls of the locule.—Tropical
Asia, Indonesia, Australia.
13. Cassia javanica Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 379, 1753.—Typus infra sub vav. javanica
indicatur.
Semideciduous trees of rapid growth, attaining 25, rarely 40 m, some flowering
precociously, where not crowded amply round-crowned with downs wept branches,
these and the trunk either smooth or armed with persistent spiniform branch-
lets, the young parts varying from minutely puberulous to densely pUosulous, the
phyllotaxy distichous, the simply or paniculately racemose inflorescence terminal
to lateral branchlets, these either leafless from annotinous or even older branch-
lets or basally leafy from hornotinous growth.
Stipules 2-lobed, highly variable in development, either thinly fohaceous and
reniform or crescentic, laterally attached, each lobe obtuse mucronulate or apiculate-acuminulate,
the blade attaining 25 x 1 cm measured between tips of lobes,
or both lobes subulate-hnear and less than 1 mm wide, the lower lobe then often
divaricate-ascending, in any case early caducous and absent from mature speci­
mens.
Lvs heteromorphic, progressively longer and more complex upward along each
annual increment of stem, those of flowering branchlets always relatively short
and simple, the longest lvs attaining ±2-3.5(^.3) dm, the shortest rarely less
than 1 dm; lfts (4-)8-17(-20) pairs, subequUong or the lowest and sometimes the
terminal pairs a little smaller than the rest, aU quite variable in outline, either
ovate-obtuse, or ovate-acuminulate, or broadly oblong obtuse or deltately acute,
or obovate obtuse or emarginate, the longer ones (3-)3.5-8(-9) x 1.5-3.2 cm,
when adult sublustrous and intricately reticulate.
Racemes subsessUe, densely 10-many-fld, subcorymbose at anthesis, the several
simultaneously expanded fls raised to level of nodding buds, the axis becom­
ing 3-12(-18) cm; bracts thinly herbaceous, persistent with the similar but shorter
bracteoles into anthesis, broadly to narrowly ovate-acuminate from broadly cuneate
or subcordate, rarely auriculate base, less often lance-attenuate, 5-12(-17)
mm long; pedicels widely ascending, including the hypanthium (2.5-)3-6 cm;
hypanthium slenderly vase-shaped 2.5-6 mm; sepals firm, green or purplish, subequilong,
ovate, oblong-obovate or lanceolate obtuse or rarely subacute, the long­
est 4-10 mm, aU reflexed at anthesis and puberulent on both faces; petals widely
spreading subhomomorphic, pale pink or carmine at full anthesis fading whitish,
buff-pink or (dry) orange-buff, puberulent dorsally, including the short claw