P. multijlorus. L. Scarlet Pole-bean. Has a splendid appearance
in flower.
P isum. L. 15. 10.
Segments of calyx leafy, 2 upper shorter; stamens 9 in one
set, and 1 in the other; standard large, reflexed ; style compressed,
villous above ; legume compressed, not winged ; seeds
round, many.
P. maritimum. L. Sea Pea. Found on marshes about salt
water in the vicinity of Boston, and described by Dr. Bigelow
as a Lathyrus ; it is probably the above plant of Linnaeus. Stem
4-sided, compressed, glaucous ; leaves pinnate, with 5 — 8 ovate
or rounded leafets, with arrow-shaped stipules ; flowers 6 —8, in
a raceme, showy, blue and purple ; legumes oblong, with globular
seeds ; -blossoms in May to July.
P. sativum. L. Common Pea. A great many varieties
are cultivated ; some of those in the gardens are rich and luscious ;
the field-pea is an important article as the food of hogs^ and in
the composition of provender for horses, cattle, &c. The seeds
of more than twenty varieties are sold in some of the seed stores.
L athyrus. L. 15. 10.
L. palustris. L. Marsh Wild Pea. Stem lax, winged,
smooth, supported by grass or other plants, with pinnate leaves
in 3 pairs of leafets, oblong, mucronate ; peduncles long, bearing
a few purple flowers ; blossoms in June, in wet meadows or low
grounds, in the vicinity of Boston. Big.
L . odoratus. L. Sweet Pea. Cultivated for its beauty
and odor.
Other species are not uncommon in gardens.
V icia. L. 15. 10.
V. cracca. L. Tufted Vetch. Has a stem slightly pubescent,
branching, square, slender, with pinnate leaves of many
pairs of leafets, oblong and mucronate ; the peduncles bear long,
crowded, recurved racemes of small, pale-purple, drooping flowers;
blossoms in July, in meadows, and along fences. Malden, Cambridge.
Big. A native of England.
V. saliva. L. Common Vetch. Tare. This is the common
tare of wheat fields ; resembles a pea, but is more slender,
and its leaves are narrower, lanceolate, and in 5 or 6 pairs of
pinnate leafets ; valves of the legume twist about each other
in a peculiar manner as the seeds fall out. Probably introduced.
This is often supposed to be the tare of the Bible, but
the evidence is rather doubtful. Native of Britain.
V. pusilla. Willd. Slender Vetch. A very slender plant,
with minute bluish-white flowers, on a square stem, with linear,
very obtuse and small leafets ; blooms in July ; South Boston,
along fences. Big. A native of Britain.
V. faba. L. Garden Bean, Windsor Bean. With an erect,
many-flowered, strong stem, supporting oval and entire leafets
of ternate leaves. Introduced from Egypt j a great many varieties
are cultivated.
T ephrosia. L. 16. 10.
T. virginica. Ph. Goat’s Rue. Stem a foot high, erect,
round,- with 8 -1 2 pairs of oval-oblong pinnate leafets, and a
terminal odd one ; variegated, handsome flowers, in a short terminal
raceme ; legumes falcate, compressed, linear, many-seeded ;
grows in dry sandy woods, or barrens, and blooms in June.
The whole plant is villous, or pale downy, and the root is slender,
tough, and long, and popularly called catgut. Big. Appears
to be spread widely over the United States and Canada. A very
beautiful plant, well deserving of cultivation.
D olichos. L. 16. 10.
D. pruriens. L. Cowitch or Cowage. Rarely cultivated,
though it is sometimes seen in gardens ; does not reach maturity
in Berkshire County, although the irritating hairs on the pods, by
which it is useful in certain diseases, are pretty fully grown.
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