Canada! (as far north as Bear Lake) to the Western part of New-York!
and west to the Rocky Mountains ! /?. Saskatchawan, &c. Hooker ! Missouri!
Stem 1-3 feet long. Leaflets 8-14 lines long : tendrils 3- many-
parted. Flowers about three-fourths of an inch long, purplish-blue. Upper
teeth, oi the calyx very short.-—Very near V, sylvatica.
?' V. Oregano, (Nutt.! mss.): “ pubescent; stem weak; leaflets 4-8
pairs, elliptical-oblong, somewhat serrate at the summit, cuspidate, rarely
emarginate; stipules lunate, semisagittate, incisely serrate; peduncles 3- 5-
nowered, rather shorter than the leaves ; teeth of the-calyx ovate-lanceolate
acuminate, the 2 upper nearly as long as the lateral ones % style slightly pubescent
; legume broadly sabre-shaped, glabrous, about 5-seeded.
“ Plains of the Oregon.— If Stem 1-2 feet long, angular. Leaflets about
T ol an mch long : tendrils many-parted. Flowers one-third smaller than in
the preceding species.” Nuttall.
3. V. truncata (Nutt.! mss.): “ somewhat pubescent; leaflets 5-6 pairs
oblong-linear, usually truncate, serrate or tridentate at the apex ; stipules lunate,
incisely serrate; peduncles 4-7-flowered, rather shorter than the leaves;
lower teeth of the calyx lanceolate, acuminate, the upper ones very short •
style very villous at the apex. ’
Plains of the Oregon. June.-—If Stem 1-2 feet high, weak. Leaflets
about an inch long, 1-2 lines wide ; the lowest ones simply acute and apicu-
late; the upper ones strongly serrate or toothed at the apex.” Nuttall.
4. V. sparsifolia (Nutt.! m ss.): slightly pubescent; leaflets 5-6 pairs,
narrowly linear, nearly acute, mucronulate; stipules, bifid, entire, or sparingly
toothed; peduncles 4-7-flowered, about a§ long as the leaves ; lower teeth of
the calyx acuminate; upper ones much shorter; style very villous at the summit.
“ Plains of the Oregon, with the preceding; to which it is very nearly allied.”
Nuttall. ’ 3
5. V. gigantea (Hook.): somewhat pubescent; stem sulcate; leaflets
10-13 pairs, oblong, petiolulate, obtuse, mucronate; stipules large, semisagittate,
deeply toothed at the base; peduncles much shorter than the leaves
5 - lS-flowered, the flowers crowded; lower teeth of the calyx long and narrow
; style slightly bearded; legume broadly oblong, glabrous, obscurely reticulated.——
Hook.! Jl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 157. V. Sitchensis, Bong.! veg.
Sitcha, in mem. acad. St. Petersb. (6. ser.) 2. p. 129. >
W oods of the Oregon, Scouler ! Nuttall! Sitcha, Bongard /— If Stem
stout, long and trailing. Leaves 6-9 inches long: leaflets 1-2 inches in length.
Flowers nearly as large as in V. Americana, pale dull purple, Legumes
about 2i inches long. Seeds as large as small peas, tolerably good eating
when young.—Plant blackish when dry.
6. V. Cracca (Linn.): stem branching; leaflets numerous (20-24), ob-
long, minutely pubescent, mucronate 5 stipules lanceolate-linear, semisagit-
tate; peduncles many-flowered, about as long as the leaves, flowers crowded
retrorsely imbricated; teeth of the calyx shorter than the tube, the upper
.ones very short; style hairy at the summit; legume oblong, coriaceous, reticulated,
glabrous; seeds globose, black.—Michx. ! ft. 2. p. 69 ; Pursh, ft.
1. p. 472; DC. prodr. 2. p. 357 ; Bigel. ft. Boat. p. 269; Hook. ft. Bor.-
Am. 1. p. 157.
Borders of woods, &c. Canada! to Pennsylvania! west to Kentucky!—
April—June. 2f Stem 2—3 feet long. Leaflets 6—8 lines in length. Racemes
12-30-flowered. Flowers nearly half an inch in length, usually bright
blue, but sometimes rather pale. Legume about an inch long, 4-6-seeded.__
Agrees in every respect with the European plant.
7. V. Caroliniana (Walt.) : stem branching; leaflets 8-12, linear-oblong,
nearly glabrous, rather obtuse, scarcely mucronate; stipules lanceolate, minute;
peduncles many-flowered; racemes rather loose; teeth of the calyx
shorter than the tube, the upper ones very short; style hairy at the summit;
legume oblong, coriaceous, not reticulated ; seeds subglobose, blackish.—
Walt. Car. p. 182; Pursh, Jl. 2. p. 472; Ell. sk. 2. p. 224; DC. prodr.
2. p. 355. V. parviflora, Michx.! ft. 2. p. 69, not of Cav.
P-? T e xa n a : very slender; leaflets 8-10, nearly linear; stipules unequally
bifid at the base; peduncles 6- 10-flowered, longer than the leaves ; flowers
crowded.
Borders of woods and banks of rivers, Canada! to Georgia ! west to Kentucky
! April-May.—if Stem 3-6 or 8 feet long, slender, climbing. Leaflets
usually scattered, 6-10 lines long. Racemes 6-15-flowered; the flowers
white, or pale blue, with the top of the keel deep blue, commonly smaller
than in the preceding species, and more loosely arranged on the peduncle.—-
The most certain distinguishing character is found in the shorter and broader
teeth of the calyx of this species. The Texan variety may prove to be distinct
; but we have not seen the legumes.
8. V. Ludoviciana (Nutt, mss.): glabrous (except the young shoots);
leaflets 10- 12, elliptical or obovate, obtuse or emarginate; stipules subulate,
simple or semisagittate; peduncle 2- 6-flowered, at length longer than the
leaves ; flowers (minute) closely approximated ; teeth of the calyx broad, acuminate,
shorter than the tube ; legume broadly sabre-shaped, glabrous, 5- 6-
seeded ; seeds compressed, dark brown.
Grassy places on the Red River, and in Texas, Dr. Leavenworth! “ In
Louisiana, Mr. Tainturier,” Nuttall. May.—If Stem 2-3 feet long, rather
stout, strongly angled, climbing. Leaflets 6-8 lines long, 2 lines wide, commonly
emarginate. Stipules very small. Flowers blue, smaller than in V.
Cracca, rarely solitary, often 2-6 on a peduncle. Calyx hairy. Keel marked
with a deep blue spot at the summit. Legume f of an inch long and 3 lines
wide.—Mr. Nuttall in his manuscript describes the peduncles as 1-2-flowered,
which is the case in some of our specimens; but the peduncles are more commonly
at least 4-flowered.
9. V. Leavenworthii: pubescent; leaflets 10-14, oblong-linear, obtuse or
emarginate; stipules minute, semisagittate, entire; peduncles shorter than
the leaves, 2-4-flowered (flowers minute) ; teeth of the calyx subulate, somewhat
equal, all longer than the tube; style slightly pubescent at the summit;
legume oblong, 6-seeded.
'Arkansas, Dr. Leavenworth!—If 1 Stem 1 -2 feet long, strongly angled.
Leaflets approximated, half an inch long and 1£ line wide. Flowers as
large as in V. tetrasperma, pale blue ?—Resembles the last two species, but
is easily distinguished by the long and narrow teeth of the calyx.
10. ’ V. micrantha (Nutt.! mss.) : glabrous ; leaflets 4-7, linear, obtuse or
acute ; stipules lanceolate, semisagittate ; peduncles shorter than the leaves,
1- 2-flowered (flowers minute); teeth of the calyx lanceolate, shorter than
the tube ; legume sabre-shaped, 7-10-seeded.
Prairies and woods' of Arkansas, Nuttall! Louisiana and Texas, Dr,
Leavenworth! on the Red River, Dr. Hale! April-May— Stem
slender, 2-3 feet long. Leaflets about an inch long; in the lower leaves truncate
and often toothed at the summit. Flowers as large as in the preceding
species (pale blue?); the peduncles at first scarcely one-third the length of the
leaves. Style very short. Legumes an inch in length, slightly pubescent.-
Seeds blackish, compressed; the hilum extending of its circumference.
11. V. acutifolia (Ell.): glabrous ; leaflets 3-6, linear, usually acute ; stipules
linear-lanceolate, semisagittate, entire; racemes longer than the leaves,.