Volume 6 — PLATE CCCCXI.

PSORALEA SPICATA.

Spiked-flowered Psoralea.

CLASS XVII. ORDER IV.

DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA. Two Brotherhoods. Ten Chives.

ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.

Calyx longitudine leguminis. Stamina diadelpha. Legumen monospermum subrostratum evalve.

Empalement the length of the pod. Chives diadelphous. Pod one-seeded roundish and valveless.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER, &C.

Psoralea, foliolis obovatis recurvato-mucronatis subtus punctatis, spica terminali oblonga. Willd. Sp. Pl. 3. 1345.

Psoralea, with leaflets inversely egg-shaped, recurvedly mucronated and dotted beneath, and an oblong terminal spike of flowers.

REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.

The spiked-flowered Psoralea is a shrubby plant, and rises to the height of a foot or two; producing its spikes of flowers in the months of July and August, at the ends of its branches. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and in this country is found to succeed very well in any green-house which has a flue to keep out the frost: and is propagated by seeds, and also by cuttings if carefully managed. Although not a very newly-introduced plant, it is certainly not a frequent one in our gardens; indeed we do not recollect having ever seen it in any collection, except the Nursery of Messrs. Whitley and Brames, Old Brompton; where our drawing was made some time since; and where it was considered and treated as a new species: which, however, as appears by our synonym above given, is not the case.