Flora Medica

FABACE.3S, OR LEGUMINOSJE.Africa (Oudney ), Cape de Verds. Only an introduced plant inthe West Indies.A perennial herbaceous plant, with erect or procumbent smoothstems. Leaves equally pinnate, quite smooth, with no gland upon thepetiole ; leaflets 4-6 pair, obovate, rounded, but mucronate at the apex,unequal at the base, the uppermost gradually the largest; stipulesnarrowly triangular, rigid, acute, spreading. Racemes erect, rather lax,axillary, stalked, either longer or shorter than the leaves. Flowers likethose of C. lanceolata. Legumes oblong, falcate, membranous, smooth,rounded at each end, with an elevated ridge upon the valves over eachside, so as to have an equally interrupted ridge along the middle ;towards this ridge the veins of each suture are directed nearly at rightangles. The leaves of this furnish the inferior Senna known by thename of Aleppo and Italian. A comparison of authentic specimenshas quite satisfied me that the C. obtusa of Roxburgh from the Mysoreis identical with the C. obovata of Africa.540. C. Tora Linn. sp. pi. 538. DC. prodr.ii. 493. W.and A. i. 290. C. obtusifolia Burm. fl.ind. 95. C. GallinariaColl. num. 96. Senna Tora Roxb.fl. ind. ii. 340. C. TageraLam. enc. i. 643. not of Linn. DC. ii.prodr. 494. Sennatoroides Roxb.fl.ind.'u. 341. v. t.(Rumph. 97. f. 2. Dill elth. t.63. f. 73. Rheede ii. t. 53). Mysore, Arabia.Annual. Stem nearly simple, about a foot high. Leaves abruptlypinnated; leaflets in 3 pairs, obovate-cuneate, mucronulate, slightlyhairy, ciliated, shortly stalked, dull deep green above, pale and almostglaucous beneath; a single yellowish cylindrical gland between thelowest pair of leaflets. Racemes short, 3-flowered, axillary. Petalsdull yellow, slightly tinged with green. Legumes from 3 to 4 incheslong, slender, straight, quadrangular, about 3 or 4-seeded, slightly contractedbetween the seeds. Leaves used to adulterate C. obovata,to which it bears a good deal of resemblance. It may however bereadily known by its leaflets never being in more than 3 pairs, by theirdistinctly cuneate form and ciliated margin, by the gland between thelowest pair, and especially by the pods, which are long slender andquadrangular, instead of being flat and falcate.54-1. C. medica Velloz.fl.flum.t. 62. Vogelin Linn. ii. 656.Brazil.A shrub. Branches angular, downy or smooth. Leaflets in 2 pairs,ovate or oblong, unequal at the base, acuminate, emarginate, at firstcovered beneath with a bright gold-coloured down, above very smoothand shining ; an acute compressed gland between each pair of leaflets.Racemes corymbose, minutely downy. Legume nearly taper. Rootcalled " Febra fuge," used instead of Cinchona. Vogel.542. C. alata Linn. sp. 541. DC. prodr.ii. 492. W. and A.287. C. herpetica Jacq. obs. ii. t. 45. f. 2. C. bracteatai.Linn.f. suppl. 232. DC. prodr. 1. c. Senna alata Roxb.fl. ind.ii. 349. (Rumph. vii. 1. 18. Gardens ). of India, but apparentlynot indigenous.Stem erect, often as thick as a man's leg, marked by the cicatrices ofthe fallen leaves, and the permanent stipules, which appear like prickles.260