Dipteryx
(from dis, double, and pteryx, a wing; in reference to the two upper lobes of the calyx, which appear like two wings). Tonquin Bean. SYN. Baryosma. ORD. Leguminosae. A genus of about eight species of stove evergreen trees. Flowers violet or rose, disposed in terminal panicles. Leaves opposite or alternate, abruptly pinnate. They thrive in rich, rough, loamy soil. Cuttings will strike if inserted in sand, and a hand glass placed over them, in a moist heat. None are of any importance, except from an economic standpoint; they are useless as garden plants.
D. odorata (sweet-scented). fl. purple, dashed with violet, disposed in racemose panicles. l. alternate; leaflets five or six, alternate; petioles margined. h. 60ft. Guiana, 1799. The seeds of this tree are the Tonga or Tonquin Beans, well known as giving a grateful scent to snuff.