on®’ rat^er stout, usually spreading on the ground, hut sometimes
climbing. Leaflets 14-24 inches long, sparsely hirsute beneath, with the
lobes commonly distinct and rounded. Peduncles when in flower 2-4 inches
long, in fruit 6 inches or more, 6—10-flowered. Calyx with 2 lanceolate
lateral bracteoles ; upper tooth minutely bifid; the lower one lanceolate-subulate,
one-third longer than the tube. Corolla purplish: keel with a very long
curved beak, without a horn at the base. Legume about 34 inches long and
§ of an inch wide, black when ripe. Seeds twice as long as wide, covered
with a gray mealy pubescence: hilum linear.
4. P.helvolus (Linn.): perennial; stem slender, retrorsely hirsute; leaflets
ovate-oblong, oblong, or oblong-linear, usually entire, about the length of the
petiole; stipules lanceolate; peduncles slender, 3-6 times as long as the leaves;
flowers few, capitate ; lower lip of the calyx lanceolate, scarcely longer than
the tube; legume straight, terete, narrowly linear, 10- 11-seeded, slightly pubescent
; seeds pubescent, reniform— Linn. sp. 1017 ; Pursh, fl. 2. p. 470 ;
Michx,! fl. 2. p. 60 ; DC. prodr. 2. p. 395. P. vexillatus, Linn. 1. c.? ;
Pursh, l.c . ; DC. 1. c. ? ; Darlingt. fl. Cest. p. 430. P. peduncularis,
Bart. fl. Philad. 2. p. 81. Strophostyles peduncularis, Ell. sk. 2. p. 230.
Glycme peduncularis, Muhl. cat. p. 67. G. umbellata, Muhl. in Willd. sp.
3 .p . 1058? 5 F
a. leaflets mostly ovate-oblong, obtuse at the base, thin, sparingly hirsute
beneath, glabrous above, entire, sometimes a little dilated or angular at the
base.
0. leaflets elliptical-ovate, acute at the base, entire, sparingly hirsute on
both sides. •
y. leaflets linear-oblong, obtuse at the base, entire, somewhat coriaceous,
sparingly hirsute on both sides.
<S. leaflets oblong-lanceolate, acute, dilated at the base, entire, strongly hirsute
beneath, nearly glabrous above.
1. leaflets 3-lobed.
a. Sandy fields, New-York! and New JeTsey ! /?. y. & s. Virginia ! to
Florida! west to Kentucky! and Louisiana! t. Georgia! and Florida!
Aug.-Sept.—Stem 3-5 feet long, much more slender than in the preceding
species. Leaflets very variable in size and form, but always smaller than
in P. diversifolius. Peduncles nearly as slender as the petioles, sometimes
8—10 inches long, 3-5- rarely 7-flowered. Flowers much resembling those
ol the preceding species. Beak of the keel with a tooth at the base. Legume
about 2} inches long and scarcely 2 lines, wide. Seeds clothed with a
mealy pubescence: hilum linear-oblong.—We have not seen the fruit of all
the forms described above: some of them possibly may not belong to this
species. We are unable to find any difference between P. helvolus and P.
vexillatus of North American botanists; but the West Indian plant may be a
distinct species. V s ~
5. P. leiospermus: (perennial?) stem slender, retrorsely hirsute; leaflets
linear-oblong, rather obtuse, entire, somewhat coriaceous, as long as the petioles,
reticulated and hirsute on both surfaces; stipules subulate ; peduncles
slender, much longer than the leaves; heads few-flowered; teeth of the
calyx lanceolate, as long as the tube; legume broadly linear, compressed,
very hirsute, about 5-seeded ; seeds oval, glabrous.
Red River, Louisiana, Dr. Hale ! Arkansas, Dr. Leavenworth !—Stem
twining. Leaflets 14 inch long, and 3-5 lines wide, somewhat dilated at the
base, hirsute, with short rigid hairs. Peduncles usually 2-3 times as long as
the leaves. Flowers smaller than in the two preceding species, but resembling
them in structure. Legume scarcely more than an inch long, and 24 lines
wide, with a very short abrupt acumination. Seeds 14 line long, purple,
polished.
E rythrina. LEGUMINOSÆ. 281
6. VlGNA. Savi ; Benth. comm. Leg. gen. p . 49.
Calyx somewhat bilabiate; upper lip entire. Vexillum with 2 callosities
near the base of the limb. Keel not spirally twisted. Stigma lateral. Legume
terete.—Twining herbs.
1. V. glabra? (Savi): glabrous [pubescent, Ell.] ; upper lip of the calyx
obtuse. DC. prodr. 2. p. 401. Dolichos luteolus, Jacq. hort. Vind. 1. p.
39, t. 90?; Pursh, fl. 2. p. 470; Nutt.! gen. 2. p. 112; Ell. sk. 2. p. 231.
Borders of rice-fields, Georgia, Pursh, Elliott.— © Stem running over
small shrubs. Leaflets ovate, tapering to a very acute point, very slightly
acuminate: petioles L-2 inches long. Peduncles 2-4 inches long, with 3-5
flowers at the summit. Lower tooth of the calyx longer than the others.
Corolla pale yellow. Keel rather longer than the vexillum. Legume somewhat
compressed, a little hairy. Ell.—We have only seen the flowers of this
plant. They are nearly as large as those of the common Pea. Vexillum
very broad. Mr. Nuttall thinks it is distinct from the West Indian species.
7. DOLICHOS. Linn. ; Benth. comm. Leg. gen. p. 49.
Calyx with 2 bracteoles at the base, campanulate, more or less bilabiate;
the upper lip 2-cleft or 2-toothed, rarely entire ; lower lip 3-cleft or 3-toothed.
Vexillum furnished near the base of the limb with 2-4 callosities : keel more
or less falcate. Style not compressed: stigma terminal. Legume compressed.
Seeds oval, more or less compressed; hilum small, oval.—Herbaceous or
suffrutescent usually twining plants. Pedicels 1-2 together.
1. D. multiflorus: perennial ; stem twining, pubescent ; leaves orbicular
with a very short acumination, when young velvety-pubescent, in the adult
state almost glabrous ; racemes axillary, densely spiked, many-flowered, about
as long as the petioles; upper lip of the calyx entire; lateral teeth short and
obtuse ; lowest one longest, lanceolate; vexillum obovate, with minute linear
callosities ; keel scarcely falcate ; legume broad, straight, much compressed,
obtuse, 4-5-seeded.
Alluvial banks of the Oconee River, Georgia, Dr. Boykin ! Arkansas
Dr. Leavenworth! June-July.—Stem 5-10 feet long, retrorsely pubescent!
Leaflets longer than the petioles, 2-3 (and sometimes 5-6) inches in diameter
often wider than long. Stipules minute, lanceolate. Raeemes pedunculate*
elongated, 20-30-flowered, many of the flowers abortive: pedicels fasciculate'
about one line in length. Vexillum and wings purple and striated internally'
Keel nearly white. Legume 2-24 inches long, and half an inch wide, nearly
glabrous when mature, pounded at the summit, with a short incurved point
Seeds separated by cellular partitions, oval, purplish brown, compressed.
8 .? ERYTHRINA. L in n .; Lam. ill. t. 608; W. <$■ Arn. prodr. Ind. Or.
1. p. 260.
Calyx tubular or tubular-campanulate, truncate, or bilabiate, or spathaceous.
Corolla with a very long lanceolate or obovate vexillum, without callosities at
the base, much larger than the very small wings and keeL Stamens straight
nearly as long as the vexillum, diadelphous or more or less monadelphous.
Style straight, glabrous. Legume (indéhiscent?) stipitate, elongated, torulose
several-seeded, compressed between the seeds, which are rather distant
*