FABACEAE. 



183 



8. PHASEOLUS [Tourn.] L. 



Vines, rarely erect herbs, with pinnately 3-foliolate leaves, and axillary 

 racemose flowers. Calyx 5-toothed or 5-lobed, or the 2 upper teeth more or 

 less united. Standard orbicular, recurved, spreading or somewhat contorted; 

 \vings mainly obovate ; keel spirally coiled, linear or obovoid. Stamens dia- 

 delphous (9 and 1). Style longitudinally bearded; stigma oblique or lateral; 

 ovary sessile or nearly so; ovules co. Pod linear, 2-valved, several-seeded, 

 tipped with the persistent style. Seeds mostly with rounded ends. Rachis 

 thickened at the bases of the pedicels. [Ancient name of the Kidney Bean.] 

 About 170 species, of warm and temperate regions. Type species: Phaseolus 

 milgaris L. 



1. Phaseolus lignosus Britton. WILD 

 BERMUDA BEAN. (Fig. 205.) Perennial, 

 with woody stems 20 long or more and 

 i' thick, branched, the young twigs pu- 

 berulent, some becoming glabrous. Stip- 

 ules ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, 2" long 

 or less, acute, striate-nerved ; petioles 

 glabrous, l'-3A' long; leaflets ovate, 

 membranous, glabrous, 4' long or less, 

 acuminate at the apex, rounded or sub- 

 truncate at the base, the terminal one 

 equilateral, long-stalked, the others short- 

 stalked and obliquely inequilateral; ra- 

 cemes long-peduncled, puberulent, loosely 

 several-many-flowered, 3 '-5' long; pedi- 

 cels filiform, 4"-6*" long; calyx broadly 

 campanulate, its teeth broad and short; 

 corolla white to purple, about 5" long, 

 the standard suborbicular, clawed ; pod 

 flat, curved, acute at each end, about 2' 



long, 4"-5" wide; seeds obliquely oblong, little flattened, brown, shining, 3" 



long. [P. semierectus of Eeade.] 



Rocky woodlands between Castle Harbor and Harrington Sound. Endemic. 

 Nearest related to P. polystachyus (L.) B.S.P., of the eastern United States. H. B. 

 Small records the occurrence of this plant at Hungry Bay, also, but this record 

 may apply to Yif/na rcpciis, which is abundant there. The species is here first de- 

 scribed botanically. 



Phaseolus vulgaris L., KIDNEY BEAN, FRENCH BEAN, SIX-WEEK BEAN, 

 probably South American in origin, is largely and successfully grown as a 

 garden crop, as also P. lunatus L., LIMA BEAN. 



Phaseolus multiflorus Willd., SCARLET RUNNER, of tropical America, grown 

 in gardens, is a long, finely pubescent vine, with rhombic-ovate leaflets, and 

 showy red flowers in racemes, its pods 3' to 6' long, its seeds black and red. 



9. VIGNA Savi. 



Herbaceous vines, or sometimes erect herbs, with pinnately 3-foliolate 

 stipulate leaves, the leaflets broad. Flowers clustered at the ends of long 

 axillary peduncles, yellowish or purplish, the rachis of the head or raceme 

 knotty, the bracts and bractlets early deciduous. Calyx 5-toothed, or the 2 

 upper teeth united. Standard nearly orbicular, auricled at the base ; wings 

 shorter than the standard; keel about equalling the standard, slightly incurved. 

 Stamens diadelphous (9 and 1). Ovary sessile; ovules numerous; style 



