Cleome speciosa Raf.

Stout herbs 1 m. or more tall; stems sparsely pilosulose to essentially glabrous, unarmed; leaves alternate, palmately compound, the petioles 2-12 cm. long, irreg-ularly pilosulose to essentially glabrous, the-leaflets 5-9, or the uppermost 3, oblanceolate, acuminate, very narrowly cuneate-decurrent, 5-25 cm. long, 1-4 cm. wide, sparsely pilosulose to glabrous; inflorescence a several-to many-flowered, corymbiform raceme, the peduncle somewhat accrescent in fruit, the bracts foliaceous, sessile, cordate, grading to the uppermost leaves, the pedicels 3-4 cm.-long, sparsely pilosulose to glabrous, somewhat accrescent in fruit; sepals ovate, long-acuminate, 4-5 mm. long, sparsely pilosulose; petals oblanceolate-spatulate, 2.5-3.5 cm. long, bright pink or rose-purple, unguiculate, the claw about I4 as long as the blade; stamens 6, the filaments 3-5 cm. long, attached about 5-7 mm. above the base of the androgynophore, the anthers 7-8 mm. long; disc absent or obsolete; ovary about 1 cm. long, minutely papillate, the stigma nearly sessile, the gynophore 2.0-2.5 cm. long, accrescent in fruit; silique 6-10 cm. long, about 2 mm. thick, continuous or obscurely moniliform, glabrous; seeds cochleate-reniform, dark brown, about 2.5 mm. long, prominently but irregularly tubercu-late; fruiting gynophores much longer than the pedicels, 3-5 cm. long.

SCHROO Trop. Natuur 4 1915 108 f. 1-7 , observed that in Java the flowers open between 4 and 5 p.m.; small stingless bees (Apis indica) collect pollen but do not touch the nectar; pollination would be effected by nocturnal butterflies.

Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs stratification.