Flora Medica

TEFHROSIA.504. T. Senna HBK. vi. 458. DC. ii. 253. Popayan,banks of the river Cauca.on theBranches somewhat angular, smooth. Leaflets in 4 pairs, obovateoblong,emarginate, mucronate, slightly downy and glaucous. Racemesopposite the leaves, 1-leaved at the base. Flowers in fascicles. Legumesnearly erect, and the calyxes rough with down. Leaves used insteadof Senna by the people of Popayan.505. T. toxicaria Pers. synops.ii. 328. ii.DC.prodr. 249.Macfady.fl.jam. i. 225. Galega toxicaria Swartzfl. ind. 1278.Tussac,fl. antill. t. 20. (Plum. ic. t. 135.) Cayenne; commonin Jamaica ; supposed to be of African origin.An erect shrubby plant, 4-5 feet high ; extremities of the branchesangular-furrowed, covered with brown down. Leaflets stalked, nearly2 inches in length, and 4 lines broad ; stipules subulate, ^ of an inchin length. Racemes terminal : axis triangular, velvety. Flowersshortly pedicelled, in clusters of 4-6, white with a purplish tinge.Calyx bilabiate, with acute divisions ; upper lip 2-fid ;under 3-partite.Standard externally covered with a brown silky pubescence. Stamenssub-monadelphous, i. e. the 10th stamen adhering to the rest for only ashort distance above the base. Legume sessile, 2-3 inches long: seedsoblong, light brown, variegated with black. Employed in Jamaica forthe purpose of poisoning fish in rivers. The young branches with theleaves pounded, and sometimes mixed with quick lime, are thrown intoa pool of some mountain stream, and have an almost immediate effect.The fish are observed to become stupified, and as it were intoxicated,and to rise to the surface, floating there with their belly upwards, so asto be readily taken by the hand. It has been remarked that the largerfish recover gradually from the effects of the poison, but that theyounger fry perish. The practice has therefore been generally discountenanced.It has been suggested that the action of the plant upon thehuman system would resemble that of Digitalis, and might prove, in aclimate where that plant does not grow, a desirable substitute. As theroots of Tephrosia leptostachya, and the leaves of T. Senna, are purgative,it is probable that the plant before us may act as an evacuant,combined with some peculiar depressing influence on the nervoussystem.Macfadyen.SABINEA.Calyx cup-shaped, campanulate, truncate and nearly entire.Corolla papilionaceous keel ;very blunt, rather shorter than thevexillum, compelling the stamens to roll up in a gyrate manner.Stamens diadelphous; the free one and 4 others half as shortagain as the remainder. Style filiform, smooth, rolled up withthe stamens. Legume stipitate, compressed, linear, long, manyseeded,mucronate with the style.West Indian unarmedshrubs. Leaves abruptly pinnated;leaflets smooth, mucronate.Pedicels fascicled, 1 -flowered. Flowers purplish.DC.506. S. florida DC. jn-odr.ii. 263. Robinia florida Vahl.symb. iii. p. 89. t. 70 The West India islands of St. John, St.Thomas, Tortola and Crab island.245 R 3