mountain ebony; (named Bauhinia by Father Plunier, in honour of the two famous botanists John and Caspar Bauhins); a genus of the mognynia order, belonging to the decandra class of plants.

Species, 1. The aculeata, with a prickly stalk, is very common in Jamaica, and other American sugar-islands, where it rises to the height of 16 or 18 feet, with a crooked stem, and divides into many irregular branches armed with strong short spines, garnished with compound winged leaves, each having two or three pair of lobes ending with an odd one, which are oblique, blunt, and indented at the top. The stalks are terminated by several long spikes of yellow flowers, which are succeeded by bordered pods about three inches long, containing two or three swelling seeds. These pods are glutinous, and have a strong balsamic scent, as have also the leaves when bruised. It is called in America the fascin-tree, from its strong odour somewhat resembling the common sain. 2. The tomentosa, with heart-shaped leaves, is a native of Campeachy; and rises to the height of 12 or 14 feet, with a smooth stem dividing into many branches, garnished with heart-shaped leaves, having two smooth-pointed lobes. The extremity of every branch is terminated by a long spike of yellow flowers, so that when the trees are in flower they make a fine appearance. 3. The acuminatea, with oval leaves, is a native of both the Indies; and rises with several pretty strong, upright, smooth stems, sending out many slender branches, garnished with oval leaves deeply divided into two lobes. The flowers come out at the extremities of the branches, three or four in a loose bunch; some of the petals are red, or striped with white, but others are plain upon the same branch; the stamina and style are white, and stand out beyond the petals. These flowers are succeeded by long pods of a dark brown colour, each containing five or six roundish compressed seeds. The wood of this tree is very hard, and veined with black; whence its name of mountain ebony. 4. The variegata, with heart-shaped leaves, and lobes joining together; this is likewise a native of both the Indies. It rises with a strong stem upwards of 20 feet high, dividing into many strong branches, garnished with heart-shaped leaves having obtuse lobes which close together. The flowers are large, and grow in loose panicles at the extremity of the branches. They are of a purplish red colour marked with white, and have a yellow bottom. The flowers have a very agreeable scent, and are succeeded. ceeded by compressed pods about six inches long, and three quarters of an inch broad, containing three or four compressed seeds in each. 5. The divaricata, with oval leaves whose lobes spread different ways. This grows naturally in great plenty on the north side of the island of Jamaica. It is a low shrub, seldom rising more than five or six feet high, but divides into several branches garnished with oval leaves dividing into two lobes that spread out from each other. The flowers grow in loose panicles at the end of the branches, have a white colour, and a very agreeable scent. The flowers appear the greatest part of the summer; so the plant is one of the greatest beauties of the hot-house. The flowers are succeeded by taper pods about four inches long, each containing four or five roundish compressed seeds of a dark colour. Besides these, five other species of Bauhinia are enumerated, but the above are the most remarkable. All the species of this plant are propagated by seeds, which must be sown on hot-beds, and the plants reared in a bark-flower.