/ / o [ I ! 53 ]
O R O B U S tuberofus.
Tuberous Orobus.
DIADELPHIA Decandria.
G en. C har. Style linear, cylindrical, downy above.
Cal. blunt at the bafe, its upper fegments deeper
and fliorter.
Spe c. C har. Leaves pinnated, elliptic-lanceolate.
Stipulae half arrowfhaped, toothed at the bafe.
Stem Ample, eredt.
Sy n . Orobus tuberofus. Linn. Sp. PI. 1028. Sm. FI.
Brit. 761. Hudf. 314. With. 631. Hull. 160.
Sibth. 22,1. Abbot. 155. Curt. Lond. fafc. i .
t. 53. Dickf. H. Sicc. fafc. 1. 11.
O. fylvaticus, foliis oblongis glabris. Rail Syn. 324.
T h i s is one of our moft elegant papilionaceous plants. It
grows chiefly in woods, thickets, and hilly paftures, on a clay
or loamy foil. On gravel it is not to be found, and is therefore
rare in Norfolk. It flowers in May and June. The various
rofe tints of the petals, contrafted with the dark purple
of the calyx and ripening pods, render it’very ornamental.
The roots are perennial, creeping and tuberous. Stems
Ample, ereft, a foot high, leafy, winged, fmootb. Leaves
alternate, formed of 2, or 3 pairs of lanceolate, more or
lefs elliptical, entire leaflets, the common ftalk proje&ing beyond
them. Their colour is a darkifh green. The ftipulae
vary in breadth, but are always toothed at the bafe. Flowers
in loofe long-ftalked axillary clufters. Calyx fmooth. Pod
cylindrical, pendulous, black when ripe, tipped with the permanent
channelled ftyle. Seeds feveral. The Highlanders are
reported to chew the roots like 1 lquor 1 ce or tobacco, and iome—
times to brew-a fort of. liquor from them.
The other Britilh Orobus may be found in v. 8. t. 518.
We take this opportunity of announcing what we fuppofe a
moft unheard of variety of it with Ample leaves, five times as
large as its natural leaflets, found by Mr. Todd at Hafod.
This variety cannot by any culture be made to flower. We
are obliged to Sir Jofeph Banks for fuggefting to what plant
it could poflibly belong, and we have it in cultivation for
further inquiry.