fluted towards the top ; when observed through a magnifier 

 somewhat villous, to the height of two or three feet erect 

 and standing of itself, from thence twining and branched, 

 towards the bottom part corky. Leaves ternate, petioled : 

 leaflets ovate, quite entire, smooth above, underneath when 

 viewed with a glass slightly pubescent, on the lower part 

 of the stem obtuse and smaller, elsewhere pointed. Sti- 

 pules in pairs, lanceolate pointed. Peduncles axillary, 

 solitary, a foot long, rigidly straight, almost upright, 

 many-flowered at the top. Bractes of the calyx in pairs, 

 subulate, small, close-pressed, caducous. Flowers sessile, 

 alternately paired, without scent. Calyx cylindrical, green, 

 narrow, small, smooth, bilabiate : upper lip notched at the 

 end and the shorter of the two, lower one with three subu- 

 late teeth. Vexillum (uppermost and largest petal) twice 

 longer than the calyx, purple suflFused over a greenish 

 ground: alve (side petals) deep-purple -red, twice the length 

 of the vexillum, roundish, concave, wide apart from the 

 rest : carina (two lowermost parallel petals generally more 

 or less connected at the inner edge) purple in the middle, 

 on the sides white at both surfaces, shorter than the vexil- 

 lum owing to the spiral twist. Anthers deep yellow, oblong, 

 balanced. Seeds several, oblongly kidney-shaped, smooth, 

 Tnth black and brown spots : shell linear, straight, round- 

 ish, taper-pointed, . 3-4 inches long, brown, with a roughish 

 furred decumbent pubescence. Jacquin has left out the sy- 

 nonyms of Dillenius and Plumier, because they speak of a 

 perennial plant. This is too likely to be a mistake to be 

 trusted to in displacing a synonym in other respects good. 



Drawn at Chiswick in the garden of the Horticultural 

 Society; where the plant has been introduced from the West 

 Indies. A kidney-bean, though not an esculent. 



Originally cultivated in 1732 by Dr. James Sberard, in 

 the Eltham garden, where it was observed by Dillenius, and 

 feithfully represented in his work. 



