(55 



peiierally highly mitrilivo ; and iiiKler the name of piilso very ninny 

 Npei;ies are used as food by man and other nninmls. 



The typical character of the fruit of the Leguminosa is a hollow 

 legume, regularly dehiscing by its anterior or ventral, and its upper or 

 dorsal sutures. The seeds being attached alternately to the two 

 ridges forming the doisiil suture by small funiculi or umbilical cords ; 

 but there exist many very wide deviations from this normal type — 

 tlius, some are indehisent, others dehisce by one valve only, some are 

 single seeded, and others have the seeds developed in pulp, and sepa- 

 raled in a few instances by partitions which are false dissepiments. 

 The last deviatin)i gives rise to the few instances iu which the fruit itself 

 is used, excepting in the case of some culinary vegetables. Thus, the 

 pulpy fruit of the tamarind, Tamarindm Indica (L.), St. John's bread, 

 or locust (Ceratonia siliqiiaj, the Brazilian Locu«t-fruit (Hyviencea 

 CouihfirUj, the Cassia-Jistula, Carlkarocarjyus Jistnla,sc\ cn\\ oithvlnf/as, 

 and otliers, but they do not belong to the I'ajnlionacece, and will bo 

 mentioned in their proper places under the other sub-orders. 'J'ho 

 legumes of the true Pajnlionacem approximate most closely to the 

 typical form, and from them we obtain most of the seeds remarkable 

 for their farinacious qualities. Thus the common garden pea Pisum 

 sativum (I;.), of which there are many varieties, whicdi may be 

 arranged under five division — the round white-seeded varieties, the 

 wrinkled white-seeded varieties, the round green-seeded varieties, 

 the wrinkled green-seeded varieties, and the common grey pea of the 

 fields. These are chiefly eaten in their unripe state, under the name 

 of green peas, except the last, the ripe seed of which is used for cattle 

 feeding. The pea is a native of the South of luirope, and is an 

 annual herb. 



The common bean ( Faha vulrinrix), is also cultivated in the gardens 

 and fields. Under horticultural treatment it produces several varieties 

 in which the seeds are large, light-coloured, and delicately flavoured, 

 usually known as broad beans, whilst under agricultural mauagement 

 they produce the small dark coloured seeds known as horse beans, or 

 Egyptian beans. This legume is a native of some parts of Northern 

 i'ersia. Tiie Haricot or French beans are produced by Phaseolus 

 viilt/arin, of wliich also there is a considerable number of varieties 

 chiclly distinguished by the colour of their seeds ; thus, some are pure 

 white, others yellow, brown, or black, and others mottled ; the unripe 

 legume of this species is extensively used as a green vegetable, and the 

 ripe seeds of the white varieties only are used for food as pulse. 



Another species of Phasmlns, (P. Jormosus, variety cocciiieusj, is 

 the well-known scarlet-runner of the gardens, cultivated for its unripe 



