Rattle-wort: A genus of the decandra order, belonging to the diadelphia class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 3rd order, Papilionaceae. The legumen is turgid, inflated, and pedicellate; the filaments are coiled with a fixture on the back. There are 11 species, all of them natives of warm climates. They rise from 18 inches to 5 feet in height, and are adorned with flowers of a blue or yellow colour. The most remarkable species is the retusa, with simple oblong wedged leaves. It is a native of the island of Ceylon and some other parts of the East Indies. The flowers are yellow, the pods smooth, cylindrical, inflated, and placed horizontally; they are filled with seeds, which, when dried, and shaken by the slightest wind, emit a rattling noise; and this, by the rude inhabitants of the countries where the plant is native, is attributed to the devil, who is thought to deliver his oracles in this whimsical manner.