[ 380 j 
DoticHos Licnosus. Purpite Do.icuos. 
BERET TEE EEE EE EE EEE 
. Clafs and Order. 
DiaDELPHIA DECANDRIA. 
Generic Charafer. : 
Vexilli bafis callis 2 parallelis oblongisalasfubtus comprimentibus. 
Specific Charaéer and Synonyms. 
DOLICHOS lignofus volubilis, caule perenni, pedunculis ca- 
pitatis, leguminibus ftriétis linearibus. Linn. Sy/. 
Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 658. Hort. Cliff: Ait. 
Kew. v. 3. p. 32. *Smith. Spicil. Bot. t. 2: 
CACARA five Phafeolusperennis. Rumph. Amb. 5. p. 378.t.136: 
The plant here reprefented has very generally been regarded 
as the Dolichos lignofus of Linnaus, and we are confirmed in 
_ the idea of its being fo from his own figure in the Hort. Cliff. 
and that in the Herbar. Amboin. to which he refers, rather than 
from its according with his fpecific defcription, for with that. 3 
the plant is evidently at variance, the feed-veflels being neither — 
ftraight nor linear, but evidently curved, as reprefented onthe 
plate: in their natural fituation the concave part is turned up- 
_ wards. Rumpntus defcribes the germen under the term cormi- — : 
culum furfum elevatum, and the {eed-veffels as parum incurve: 
Dr. Smiru, on the contrary, taking no notice of the impro- 
priety of Linn 2vs’s defcription, fays they are a little recurved s y 
whether this term be ftri€tly applicable to the feed-veffels in 
the Linnean fenfe of the word, may perhaps admit of a doubtt. 
Rumpbutus informs us, that the feed-veffels of this plant are 
a common food throughout India, eaten as our French or kid- 
ney beans are, to which however he obferves, that they are 
far inferior ; of that extenfive country it is confidered as a 
native, there aré good grounds for regarding it alfo as a native o 
of Spain and Portugal: we were favoured with feeds of it by 
Mr. Joun White, of Fleet-Street, which had been gathered 
at Gibraltar by his brother, Lieut. Wutre, of the 82d regiment. 
This plant, fo far from requiring a ftove, is hardy enough to 
bear our ordinary winters, when placed againft a wall in @ ~ 
fheltered part of the garden; but it is ufually kept in the green- 
- houfe as a climber, for which it is well adapted, as it continues, 4 
if ithas plenty of pot room, during moft of the fummer to throw - 
_ ott abundance of bright purple flowers, in fucceffion ; thefe foon 
fade, and are followed by fecd.veffels, which have produced ripe 
feeds in my garden at Brompton, and by thefe the plant is readily, 
increafed, : : 
* Introd. by Monf. Tuowrs, 1776.0 
+ Vid. Marryn’s Lang. of Bot. Term recuretitty 
