Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

90 FABACEAE SMITHSONUN CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY
(see also yellow-flowered cultivated Sennu multijuga).
Cassia grandis Linnaeus f., the pinkshower cassia, has pink
flowers, enormous woody hits, and hairy, oblong leaflets that
are rounded at each end; apparently it is cultivated in the
Roseau Botanic Garden.
Cassia javanica var. indochinensis Gagnepain, the pink
cassia, has distinctive stipules and no petiolar gland; it has been
collected in the Roseau Botanic Garden (Hodge 3909).
Whitefoord (1989:144) reported another collection from the
Botanic Garden.
Copuifera guiunensis Desfontaines (Caesalpinoid) was
reported in the Portsmouth area by Krause (1915). This could
be a misidentification of Pterocarpus oficinalis Jacquin or
Copaifera oficinulis Linnaeus, the latter reported as cultivated
in Martinique (Dwyer, 1951:169), but no Dominica collections
have been seen.
Covillea racemosa Bojer ex W. Hooker (Caesalpinoid), a
native of Madagascar, has spectacular congested racemes of red
flowers and was collected in bud in August in the Roseau
Botanic Garden (Hodge 956).
Pachyrrhizus erosu (Linnaeus) Urban (Faboid), the yam
bean, was reported for Dominica by Grisebach (1860:195)
under the name Pachyrrhizus angulatus L. Richard, based on
Zmruy 103 (K), presumably cultivated for its watery tubers. It is
a twiner with 3 sublobed or toothed leaflets and the stigma is
lateral and globose.
Parkinsonia aculeata Linnaeus (Caesalpinoid) is a showy
and armed shrub with flattened rhachises, tiny and deciduous
leaflets, showy yellow flowers and a narrowly cylindric pod.
Hodge (1954:23) reported it in the dry scrub of the west coast,
but this is not confirmed. It was collected in 1890 (Dudley s.n.)
without locality, perhaps from the Botanic Garden. The only
other collection seen (Hodge 907) is from the Botanic Garden.
Peltophorum linnuei Bentham (Caesalpinoid) was noted as
having been collected on Dominica by Kellogg (in Howard,
1988,4:377).
Phuseolus (Faboid), once a large genus but now with most
species transferred to Vigna, is cultivated on Dominica.
Phaseolus lunatus Linnaeus, the broad bean or lima bean, was
cited for Dominica by Stehle et al. (1948, 2115). PhuseoIus
vulgaris Linnaeus, the kidney bean, red bean, string bean, etc.
(ma kuti in Carib), has been collected from cultivation at
Peinville (Kimber 853,868). The latter species was discussed
by Hodge and Taylor (1957:566), who pointed out several
beliefs.
Pongamia pinnata (Linnaeus) Pierre (Faboid) was collected
in the Botanic Garden (Hodge 996), flowering in September. It
is remarkably similar to Lonchocarpus, but the flower pedicels
are not bifurcate (2-flowered).
Samunea samun (Jacquin) Merrill (Mimosoid), the rain tree,
is cultivated as a big tree at Antrim (Gates Clarke s.n.),
Coulibistri (Whitefoord 5713), and elsewhere in Dominica. It
has pink, powderpuff-like inflorescences, bipinnate leaves,
each of 2-4 pinnae with up to 8 pairs of pubescent, 5 cm long
leaflets (the outer being largest), and blackish, linear pods. It is
known to naturalize elsewhere and may do so on Dominica. It
would key here to Albizia but is pubescent.
Sesbania grandiflora (Linnaeus) Poiret (Faboid) was collected
in the Roseau Botanic Garden (Bassett 9 at K), a small
tree with large pink flowers.
Sophora tomentosa Linnaeus (Faboid) was cultivated in the
Roseau Botanic Garden (Hodge 921). The leaves are oddpinnate
with 5-10 pairs of tomentose leaflets, stamens are 10,
free, and the pod is strongly constricted between the somewhat
globose seeds.
Excluded Fabaceae
Sesbania sericea (Willdenow) Link (Faboid) is Antillean
and was reported for Dominica by V6lez (1957: 101) as Sesban
sericea on the authority of Britton and Wilson (1924, 5:395),
who cited “Antigua to Martinique.” To be sought in wet or
brackish areas. It would key to Sabinea but has more leaflets
and yellow flowers.
Excellent keys to the subfamilies and their genera appear in
Howard (1988, 4:335-440) and are recommended for those
wishing to master the subfamilies. Dominica has a rich legume
flora but it may be small enough to accommodate an artificial
identification key that groups similar tam rather than the usual
classification key that groups related ma.
1. Leaves unifoliolate (Bauhinia and Swartzia are Caesalpinoid, the rest Faboid).
2. Leaves bilobed ............................. Bauhinia
2. Leaves unlobed.
3. Inflorescence conspicuously bracteate, the bracts persistent, papery, and
enclosing the flowers and fruits .................. Flemingia
3. Inflorescence not so.
4. Inflorescence axillaxy, 5 cm broad; large sprawling or
scandent shrubs ......................... Dalbergia
4. Inflorescence terminal, >2 cm long; leaves usually