140 proceedings: botanical society 



fine fruits are abundant, but several species prominent in other parts 

 of tropical America, such as the papaya, sapote, sapodilla, and pine- 

 apple, are absent or little used. Among the root crops that are com- 

 monly grown are sweet potatoes, yams, yautias, and cassava, and more 

 recently white potatoes are being successfuly produced in the cool 

 mountain districts southeast of Port au Prince. In comparison with 

 other tropical countries, conditions appear favorable for crop production 

 in Haiti, if a more effective organization of agriculture can be estab- 

 lished together with a better means of marketing the products. 



The paper was discussed by Major E. A. Goldman, Dr. L. 0. 

 Howard, 0. F. Cook, A. S. Hitchcock, and the chair. 



M. W. Lyon, Jr., Recording Secretary. 



BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 125th regular meeting of the Society was held at the Cosmos 

 Club, Thursday, January 3, 1918. There were 65 members and 8 

 guests present. The following persons were elected to membership: 

 A. A. Hansen, Leonard W. Kephart, H. E. Allanson, F. P. Met- 

 CALF, Nathan Menderson, and T. Ralph Robinson. The following 

 scientific program was given: 



C. V. Piper: The botany and economics of the tribe Phaseoleae. The 

 word bean traces back philologically to Vicia faba known as the horse 

 bean, broad bean, Windsor bean, etc. In present-day usage the word 

 bean is most commonly used for the common or kidney bean Phaseolus 

 vulgaris. Botanists in general restrict the term bean to the botanical 

 tribe Phaseoleae, but the original bean Vicia faba belongs to the tribe 

 Viciae. By extension the word bean has also been applied to seeds 

 in other families, as the castor bean, cacao bean, vanilla bean, etc. 

 On the other hand some of the Phaseoleae are commonly known as 

 peas; for example, pigeon pea and cowpea. 



For the purpose of this discussion the term bean is restricted to the 

 botanical tribe Phaseoleae. In this tribe Engler and Prantl recognized 

 forty-seven genera, and Bentham and Hooker fifty. In recent years one 

 additional undoubtedl.y distinct genus has been described and many 

 botanists subdivide some of the older genera. Thus from Phaseolus 

 have been segregated Dyslobium and Strophostyles and perhaps other 

 natural genera still remain to be separated from the Phaseolus complex. 

 Engler and Prantl divide the tribe Phaseoleae into six subtribes, of 

 which the most important is the Phaseolinae. Of the eight to twelve 

 genera in this tribe all but one or two are economic and seven are 

 important as sources of human food. 



All of the edible beans are of very ancient agriculture and most of 

 them have not been found, or at least identified, as wild plants. The 

 exceptions which are known as wild are the cowpea, the horse bean, 

 the soy bean, the lima bean, the moth bean, and the Niger bean. 



Most of the beans used for human food are prone to create digestive 

 disturbances, in strong contrast with the seeds of the pea tribe, but 



