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wliat spathulate, hlunt, eutire, slightly hairy within, connivent,
orange-yellow, with a rounded folded lobe at the base.
Keel pale yellow, rather shorter than the wings, obtuse, splitting
below, with ciliated edges. Stamens 10, 5 alternate
ones rather shorter. Filaments free, glabrous, white, flattened
and widened towards the base. Anthers yellow, of
two parallel cells. Ovarium compressed, silky. Style awl-
shaped, longer than the ovarium, white, glabrous, attenuated
upwards. Stigma a minute dot. Lomentum of 9 orbicular
articulations, beset with spreading, compressed, awl-shaped,
bristle-pointed, dark red prickles ; terminal articulation surmounted
by the persistent style.
This very curious and interesting species is a native of
dry sandy pastures in the province of Buenos Ayres, and
was raised by our worthy friend Dr. Neill in his garden at
Canonmills, near Edinburgh, in 1834, from seeds transmitted
to him by Mr. Tweedie. A plant which we brought
from Edinburgh in the autumn of that year produced abundance
of flowers and ripe fruit in the open border of the
Chelsea Botanic Garden during the past summer.
We have seen no authentic specimen of the plant of De
Candolle, and although ours disagrees in some respects with
the description given by that Botanist and also by Poiret,
we nevertheless believe them to be identically the same
species.
The present plant appears to be quite hardy, and should
be grown in a sandy soil, where it will flower and ripen its
fruit freely. It may be increased both by parting the roots
and by seeds.
For the meaning of the generic name see fol. 222.
D . Don.
1. Calyx. 2. Vexillum. 3. Wing. 4. Keel. 5. Stamens.
6. Pistil. 7. Pod.
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