NAT. ORDER 



PapUionace. 



DOLICHOS PRUEIENS. COMMON COWH.\GE. 



Class XVII. DiADELPHiA. Oi-dcr IV. Decandria. 



Gen. Char. Bunnei', at the base of the standard, compressing 

 tlie wings underneath ; oblong and two-parallel. 



^e. Char. Stem, flexuous. Baccmcs, axillary. Glumes, erect, 

 pendulous, hispid, containing sced.s. 



The ivot is perennial and fibrous ; the stem is herbaceous, 

 climbing, cylindrical, hairy, divided into many branches, which 

 twist round the neighboring trees, and rise to a considerable height 

 the leaves are ternate, and stand upon long footstalks, placed alter- 

 nately at the distance of about a foot from each other; each pinna, 

 or lobe, is entire, ovate, pointed, smooth on the upper side, on the 

 under hirsute ; the lateral lobes arc oblique, and somewhat larger 

 than that in the middle, which is of a rhomboidal shape ; the Jloweis 

 are large, of a purplisii or violet color, and are mostly ternate, placed 

 upon short peduncles, and form pendant spikes, which arise from the 

 axils of the leaves, and are about a foot in length ; the proper foot- 

 stalks are short, and furnished with small stipules; the ca/j/.risbcll- 

 shaped, gibbous at the base, lax downy, divided into two lips, of 

 which the upper is semi-ovate ; the under separates into three lance- 

 shaped segments ; the corolla is of the papilionaceous order, consisting 

 of a vcxilluin, or standard, which is roundish, entire, concave, obtuse, 

 and double the length of the calyx ; there are two alcn, or wings, 

 wiiich are oblong, obtuse, concave, and twice the length of the vex- 

 illum ; a carina, or keel, which is scythe-shaped, of the lengtli of the 



Vol. iii.— 03. 



