LEGUMINOS/E. 10/ 



with close-lying silky hairs. The leaves are composed usually 

 of about seven leaflets, sharply lance-shaped. The flowers are 

 purple, Avhorled in short racemes, appearing in early summer. 

 Native of North America. 



Orobus {Bitter Vetch). — Modem botanists do not regard this 

 group as anything but an artificial offshoot of the genus Lathy - 

 7'us; but in gardens their distinct habit of growth and style 

 as decorative plants deserve a separate designation. It may 

 be characterised as a very handsome group, if not strikingly 

 showy, and in their flowering period they have few compeers 

 amongst hardy plants ; and their value is enhanced when it is 

 remembered that their blossoms appear at a time intermediate 

 between spring and summer flowers, thus filling up a gap that 

 should not, but does, exist in most gardens that are conducted 

 according to the fashion of the present time. Some of them, 

 such as O. vermis and cyaneus, owing to their neat dressy habit 

 of growth, low stature, and free-flowering quality, are peculiarly 

 fit subjects for the gardens of amateurs and others whose space 

 is limited. All are good rockwork plants where that is on a 

 large scale, and they are among the best of hardy mixed-border 

 plants. They are propagated by seed sown in pots in cold 

 frames in early spring, or later in the open ground where they 

 are to remain, or in a nursing border, from which they must be 

 timeously transplanted ; and by division in autumn or spring. 

 Probably other species equally worthy of cultivation are yet to 

 introduce, or have been in gardens and are lost, but the follow- 

 ing selection embraces the best that we have at present. 



0. cyaneus, syn. Platystylis cyanea {Blue Bitter Vetch). — 

 This species forms handsome tufts 9 to 12 inches high. The 

 stems are clothed with bright green, narrow, lance-shaped leaflets, 

 two or three pairs to each stalk. The flowers are bright blue, 

 in loose few-flowered racemes ; in profusion in May and June. 

 Native of the Caucasus. 



0. Fischeri {Fischer's Bitter Vetch). — Rather a peculiar and 

 pretty species, producing unbranched stems about i foot high, 

 thinly clothed with linear lance-shaped leaflets on very short 

 stalks, only a pair to a leaf. The flowers are produced in one- 

 sided crowded racemes, are purplish, and appear in early 

 smiimer. Native of Siberia. 



0. Jordan! {Jordaiis Bitter Fd'/^//).— This is a pretty species, 

 growing from 9 to 12 inches. The leaves are composed of 

 three or four pairs of broadly lance-shaped leaflets terminating 

 in a distinct sharp point. The flowers are blue, in few-flowered 

 racemes, appearing in early summer. Native of I.ucania. 



0. luteus {Yellozu Bitter Vetch). — This is one of the hand^ 



