R. saxatilis. Mx. Stone Raspberry. Grows a foot high,
and is an annual plant ; the preceding are perennial.
R. odoratus. L. Flowering Raspberry. Distinguished by its
large purple flowers, and its large, 5-lobed, and serrate leaves;
flowers in June, in woods and hedges. Often cultivated for its
beauty. Fruit is large, but sour, and is not sought for.
R. setosus. Big. Bristly Raspberry. Grows in swamps.
R. frondosus. Big. Probably a variety of R. villosus.
R. Canadensis. L. A small creeping plant, in woods and
swamps, bearing small, dark-red, pleasant berries.
R. obovalis. Mx. Hispid with stiff hairs, ternate leaves,
few-flowered ; black and sweet berries, with only a few large
grains ; blossoms in June; grows in mountain swamps.
All the species of Spirasa are woody, and belong to the shrubs,
where they will be described.
ORDER 77. LEGUMINOSiE. T he P ea T ribe.
Calyx divided into 5 parts more or less deeply, often unequal,
and the odd segment before, with 5 petals or less, or none, inserted
at the base of the calyx, papilionaceous, or regularly spreading
; the odd petal behind ; stamens perigynous, monodelphous,
diadelphous, or distinct; ovary superior ; fruit a legume or drupe ;
leaves alternate. This order is known generally by either its
papilionaceous flower, or its legume, commonly callfed pod, like
that of the pea and bean ; one of these is sometimes wanting, or
rather exchanged for another form of corolla, or pericarp. Sometimes
there is a rosaceous flower and leguminous fruit. Lindley.
This is a very important order ; it is a large one. The irritability
of some of the family, as the sensitive plant, is wonderful
and inexplicable. The plants are widely spread over the earth,
and some yield important articles of food. Many of them are
trees of great beauty or use, or both ; some yield important dyestuffs
; some are poisonous, while most have a wholesome character.
Some are tonic, or stimulant, or astringent, or emetic,
vesicatory, or cathartic, &c. Several yield important gums, balsams,
extracts. About 280 genera belong to the order, and contain
within the torrid zone 1602 species, and north of the torrid
zone, 1312 species, and south of the tropic, 524 species. Many
of the most interesting, are unknown in temperate climates ; 236
species are ascribed by Torrey to North America. All our
plants of this order, have papilionaceous flowers ; calyx with distinct
divisions ; and stamens around the pistil. Many are beautiful.
A mphicarpa. Ell. 15. 10.
«3. monoica. Nutt. Pea Vine. Has a hairy, twining, slender
stem, and purple flowers ; leaves ternate, with ovate leafets ; the
racemes of petalous flowers are sterile, and the radical apetalous
flowers fertile ; woods, July.
A pios. Ph. 15. 10.
«3. tuberosa. Moench. Ground-nut. A twining plant, often
many feet long, with leaves pinnate, having 5 — 7 leafets ; keel
of the corolla falcate ; flowers in racemes, dense, axillary, dark-
purple ; root tuberous, pleasant to the taste, raw or roasted ;
blossoms in Ju ly ; woods. When the seeds have fallen from
their capsules, the opened and colored fruit-vessels have a
beautiful appearance, and are sometimes used with ground pine
in decorations.
Baptisia. Vent. 10. 1.
B . tinctoria. Br. Wild Indigo. Stem 2 - 3 feet high,
very branching, very smooth, with ternate leaves ; calyx 2-lipped,
stamens deciduous, flowers 5-petalled, nearly equal, in racemes;
in drying, the plant turns black, or rather blue ; woods, in a light
soil; July. Astringent, antiseptic, emetic, cathartic.
Cassia. L. 10. 1.
Sepals scarcely united ; stamens 10, free, unequal in length,
and the 3 upper ones abortive ; 5 unequal petals.