Leaves remote,, almost sessile, pinnated with two or three 

 pairs of opposite, linear; sword -shaped, closely-striated, 

 scarcely pubescent leaflets : the rachis or common petiole 

 short, tipped with a mucro. Stipules narrowly semisagit- 

 tate. Peduncles often more than twice the length of the 

 leaves, bearing a rather close raceme of four to eight large 

 and very beautiful flowers. Calyx glabrous, two upper 

 teeth shorter than the rest. Vexillum ample, and, as well as 

 the alee, rich purple, becoming more blue when fully ex- 

 panded. Carina almost white, purple only at the edges. 

 Style remarkably dilated upwards, more so than in most of 

 the Lathyri. 



Our Glasgow Botanic Garden is indebted to Mr. Fischer 

 of Gottingen for the possession of this most desirable spe- 

 cies of Orobus, which produces its large and highly colour- 

 ed blossoms in May and June. It is said to be a native of 

 the South of Europe ; but chiefly, as it would appear, of 

 the Pyrenees. Mr. Bentham gives it as inhabiting the 

 central parts of that great chain. Sprengel adopts the 

 name of O.filiformis of Lamarck for it; and it must be 

 confessed that the appellation given by Linnaeus is far from 

 appropriate. 



The habit of this plant and the absence of tendrils pro- 

 claims it to be an Orobus; but the style, remarkably dilated 

 upwards, is altogether that of a Lathyrus. 



Fig. 1. Calyx and Carina; nat. size. 2. Front view of the Style. 3. 

 Back view of the same : — magnified. 



