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38 
LUPINUS leptocarpus. 
Slender-fruited Lupine. 
ee — —— 
DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA. 
Nat. ord. LEGUMINOSÆ, $ PAPILIONACE X. 
LUPINUS. Botanical Hegister, vol. 13. fol. 1096. 
L. leptocarpus; biennis, decumbens, vix canescens, foliolis 7-9 oblongo-lan- 
ceolatis obtusiusculis mucronulatis suprà glabris subtüs adpresse pube- 
rulis, stipulis setaceis, floribus densé racemosis, bracteis pilosis valdé 
deciduis alabastris obtusiusculis longioribus, calycis ebracteolati adpressé 
pubescentis labio superiore basi subgibbo, leguminibus elongatis brevi- 
ter et adpressé pubescentibus. Bentham Plant. Hartw. no. 61. p. 11. 
quibusdam mutatis. 
A hardy straggling biennial plant, growing two or three 
feet high, and blossoming in the latter part of summer and 
autumn, when it becomes a very gay decoration of the flower 
garden. It has much the habit of Z. rivularis, to which 
indeed it nearly approaches. | 
In the very difficult genus Lupinus it is hard to say what 
positive characters separate plants, which nevertheless have 
all the appearance of being distinct species, and any one much 
acquainted with the genus must fee] that some better marks 
of distinction than are at present employed would be desirable. 
The relative length of the bracts and unexpanded flowers, 
and the form of the latter are doubtless of great importance, 
but it is to be expected that the form of the pods, and the 
number, size, form, and surface of the seeds are also deserv- 
ing of particular attention. That the latter offer the best 
means of distinguishing the European annual Lupines is well 
known, and it is probable that the exotic species differ in a 
similar way. 
If however these marks may be depended upon, it is 
also necessary to observe that the shrubby or herbaceous 
