34 FLORA HISTORICA. 



LUPINE. Liip'mus. 



Natural Order Papilioiiace^e, or Lcgianinosce.. A Genus 

 of the Diadelphia Decandria Class. 



Tristlsquc Liipini 



Sustuleris fragiles calamos. 



Virgil. 

 . 'Where stalks of Lupines grew, 



Th' ensuing season, in return, may bear 

 The bearded product of the golden year, 



Drydex. 



The Lupine, which we cherish in our gardens as 

 an ornament to the parterre, formed an important 

 article in the husbandry of the Romans, who culti- 

 vated it not only as a subsistence for their cattle, 

 but as a food for themselves also. Pliny says, he 

 could not recommend any diet that is more whole- 

 some and lighter of digestion, than the White Lu- 

 pines, when eaten dry. Their bitterness was taken 

 off by soaking them in hot water, or covering them 

 with hot ashes. The same author says, that this 

 food gave those who ate it generally with their 

 meals, a fresh colour and a cheerful countenance. 



We learn from Columella, that Lupines were 

 sometimes flavoured with a Syrian root, and so 

 eaten to provoke drinking, or perhaps to give a 



