Culture of the Sweet Pea 675 



LATHYRUS TINGITANUS L. 



Tangier pea. This species is very distinct from the sweet pea, L. 

 odoratus, and is sometimes cultivated in gardens with other annuals. 

 Its culture is similar to that of the sweet pea, but, while the flowers are 

 freely produced, they lack the range of color and the agreeable fragrance 

 of the sweet pea. The species begins to bloom with the earliest of the 

 sweet peas, but experience last year at this station would indicate that it 

 does not produce flowers over so long a period. Success is dependent 

 on prompt removal of the pods, for they develop rapidly. This plant 

 comes from northern Africa. 



LATHYRUS OCHRUS DC. 



This species has pale yellow flowers, hence the common name, pale 

 yellow pea. The plant was formerly known as Ochrus pallida Pers. 

 Linneeus described it as Pisum ochrus and De Candolle as Lathyrus ochrus, 

 the latter being now the accepted name. The species is of the easiest 

 culture, but is not very showy nor attractive in bloom. It does not remain 

 in bloom very long, but is of some interest botanically. 



LATHYRUS SYLVESTRIS L. 



This species is inferior ornamentally to other species, but is of some value 

 as a forage crop. It grows well on poor, sandy soil, which it improves 



if plowed under. 



LATHYRUS PUBESCENS HOOK. 



One of the most ornamental species, but is not hardy. The flowers 



are a beautiful blue — in fact they are said to siu*pass Lord Anson's Blue 



• — and are borne several in a cluster. The species was first cultivated 



by M. Andre in his garden at La Croix, France. The plant attains a 



height of 3 to 5 feet in cultivation. Early-sown seeds give plants that 



bloom the same season. This species may be increased from cuttings in 



the fall. In England the variety is apparently not hardy except in favored 



locations, and is recommended as a greenliouse plant. It was exhibited 



before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society March 20, 1906. Color 



plates are found in The Garden, Vol. 54, p. 353, and in Revue Horti- 



cole, 1895, p. 40. The latter is a better representation of the color of 



our species. 



LATHYRUS MAGELLANICUS LAM. 



In the old seed lists we find Lord Anson's Blue and Lord Anson's White. 

 The plant most frequently sold under this name is Lathyrus sativus. The 

 true species is a perennial, with woody stems 3 to 5 feet long bearing 

 long, 3-4-flowered peduncles. The color is a purple-blue. 



