J l 3 [ 48ï
V I C I A
]
lutea.
Rough-podded Yellow Vitch.
D I A D E L P H I A Decandria.
G e n . C h a r . Stigma tranfverfely bearded on the lower
fide.
S p e c . C h a r . Pods feffile, folitary, reflexed, hairy.
Stems diffufe. Stipulæ blood-red. Standard of
the flower fmooth.
S y n . Viciæ luteæ. Linn. Sp. PI. 1037. Hudf. 319.
With. 639.
T h e late Mr. Humphrey of Norwich found this plant many
years ago on the beach at Orford, Suffolk, on the fide next the
river, about a mile from the haven’s mouth. It has fince been
met with at Aldborough, by the Rev. Mr. Burroughes. Our
fpecimens were gathered at Weymouth, by the Rev. Mr. Baker
and A. B. Lambert, Efq. in Auguft 1795. We know of no
other Britifh ftations of the V. lutea, the plant found on Glaf-
tonbury Tor hill being the hybrida.
The root is perennial, long, dividing at the top, among the
loofe pebbles where it grows, into feveral diffufe, angular,
fmooth, leafy ftems, often two or three feet long, but little
branched. Some of the branches are always fubterraneous,
producing colourlefs condenfed gemma rather than flowers,
which however form feeds as in Lathyrus amphicarpos, and fome
other vetches. The leaves are compofed of numerous, oppofite
or alternate, pointed or bluntifh leaflets, hairy beneath, with a
branched tendril at the end of their common foot-ftalk. Sti—
pulse triangular, generally ftained externally, more or lefs
deeply, with a blackifh red hue; fome of them however are
green. Flowers axillary, folitary, feffile, pale yellow, but generally
more or lefs ftreaked and ftained with a blueilh grey or
purple; very rarely they are all over grey. Pods reflexed,
clothed with fhort hairs arifing from fmall tubercles. The feeds
are from five to eight, oval, bitter and aftringent in a young
ftate.