74 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



species seems to imply wortliless characters and "tare vetch" 

 or "tare fitch" are old names for weedy plants that were bet- 

 ter exterminated. The word "tine" has something the mean- 

 ing of tare and is illustrated in such terms as "tine-weed" 

 and "tine tare", applied to Vicia liirsuta of Eairope which is 

 now naturalized here. Other names for this plant are "tare", 

 "tare vetch" and "hairy vetch". "Strangle tare" is an ap- 

 propriate name for a plant that climbs upor and smothers 

 other species. The large bright fl >wcrs of Vicia Americana 

 have caused it to be known as "wild sweet pea", "purple 

 vetch" and "wild pea". Other names are "American vetch", 

 "peavine" and "buffalo pea". P^icia cracca is the "Canada 

 pea", "blue vetch", "cat peas", "bird vetch" and "cow vetch", 

 the last three being more fanciful terms than real names as- 

 sociated with the animals indicated. Vicia sepium is the 

 "wild tare" or "crow peas" and V. tetrasperuia is the "lentil 

 tare", the lentil meant, of course being the well known legume 

 of that name. Vicia saiiva is known as "spring vetch." 



Still another group of plants sometimes called peas be- 

 long to the genus Vigna. The well known "cow pea" of the 

 Southern States is J\ sinensis. It is also known as "whip- 

 poor-will pea", "lady pea", "black-eyed bean" and "China 

 bean". Pliasohts polystac/ios is the "wild l)can" or "kidney 

 bean". Ccntroscnia Jlrginiana is the "spurred butterfly pea". 

 Amphicarpa monoica is "hog peanut", "wild pea-vine" and 

 "wild peanut" which names refer to the underground pods 

 produced by the cleistogamous flowers of this plant. The 

 name "licorice" sometimes found in books, seems to be a 

 misnomer for our plant which but slightly resembles the true 

 licorice {Glycerrhiza glabra) a plant of the Old World. 

 Our "wild licorice" {G. lepidota) is called "American lic- 

 orice", licorice root", "sweet root", and "sweet wood". 



