EBENUS MONTBRETII, Nob.
E B E N U S , Linn.— Jaubert et Spach, Monogr. Gen. Ebenus, in Ann. des Sciences nat., 2e sér. ,
vol. 19, p. 149-
C a l yx submembranaceus, persistens, tubulosus, profunde bilabiatus ; labiis subæqua-
libus : superiore fere ad basin usque bipartito ; inferiore tripartito ; fructifer immutatus.
Segmenta plumosa, subæqualia, e dilatata basi subulato-filiformia. Tubus campanulatus
v. turbinatus v. obconicus, basi æqualis. C o r o l l a rubra v. violacea, papiliotiacea, glaber-
rima ( unica specie excepta) , persistens (unica specie d e c id u a ), speciebus plerisque calyce
brevior ; petalis erectis, unguiculatis ; carinæ et alarum unguibus vaginae staminali adnatis
(saltern a basi ad medium altiusve). V e x il lu m carinæ admotum, basi impresso-gibbosum ,
dorso plicato-carinatum , sub anthesi explanatum , dein complicatum; ungue concavo,
superne dilatato. A læ minimæ (calycis tubo et carinæ unguibus breviores aut vix æqui-
longæ), carinæ inadhærentes, adpressæ, plerumque subdolabriformes. C ar in a cymbæformis
v. cuculliformis, compressa, erostris ( specie unica ros tra ta ), obtusa, ad marginem inferiorem
utrinque plico longitudinali instructa et juxta basin subsaccata; laminæ per marginem
inferiorem fere ex toto concretæ; ungues apice discreti. S t am in a 10, carina inclusa,
diadelpha, marcescentia ; 9 filamentis alte in vaginam fronte fi'ssam connatis ; filamentum
decimum (vexilli axi antepositum) liberum, v. superne vaginæ marginibus adhærens. F il a -
m e n t a capillaria, incurva, alterne longiora et breviora. A n th e ræ ovales v. ovatæ, minutæ,
citrinæ, deciduæ, dorso affixæ, versatiles, æstivatione introrsæ. O varium oblongum v. obo-
vatum, minutum , estipitatum, compressum, tomentosum (rarissime glabrum), uniloculare,
i-ovu)atum ; ovulo campylotropo, appenso , infra loculi medium affixo. S t y l u s marcescens ,
glaber, filiformis, elongatus, incurvus, tandem excentricus v. sublateralis. S t igm a terminale,
capitellatum, minutum, imberbe, papillulosum. L eg um e n cunéiforme v . subrotundum,
uniloculare, monospermum , indehiscens, minutum (calycis tubo excepta specie unica
brevius), submembranaceum, compressum, estipitatum, obliquum , sæpissime tomentosum
(sub tomento lævigatum, striatulum), apice incrassato-marginatum et truncatum
v. rotundatum, styli reliquiis excentrice v. lateraliter mucronatum , basi subangustatum,
margine nervulo liliformi ecarinato cinctum. S em en ovale v. oblongum v. subrotundum,
lenticulari-compressum , estrophiolatum, lævigatum, loculi cavitatem subreplens, appen-
dens, verticale, lævigatum, exalbuminosum ; integumento duplici, utroque tenui; exteriore
subcoriaceo interiori corneo adhærente. Hilus minutus, excavatus, subrotundus. E mbryo
curvus ; cotyledonibus ovalibus v. subrotundis, carnosis, plano-convexis, obtusis; radicula
decurva, accumbente, tereti, subcolumnari, obtusa, cotyledonibus paulo breviori.
Frutices v. suffrutices {species unica biennis herbacectf, habitu vario ; partibus herbaceis
sericeis v. tomentosis v. hirsutis. C aules teretes v. angulosi. F o l ia {speciebus nonnullis ple -
raque mutata in ph y l l o d ia sp inoefo rm ia p e r s is ten tia ) imparipinnata v. digitata v. 1-folio-
la ta , stipulata, petiolata, alterna (v. ramillulis axillaribus abbreviatis rosulata); petiolo
tereti v. semi-tereti, mutico, basi dilatato. F o l io l a subsessilia, integerrima, rigide mucro