io THE BOOK OF THE SWEET PEA 



fare albo and rubro var legato, odor at o. In 1669 a plant 

 somewhat resembling the Sweet Pea is mentioned in 

 the " Hortus Blesensis" of Robert Morrison, London, 

 as Lathyrus lalifolius annuus, siliqud hirsuta. Conjecture 

 gives place to certainty by a reference to the " Historia 

 Plantarum" of John Ray, London, 1686-1704, in which 

 is found in Book XVII., " Lathyrus major e Sici/ia ; a very 

 sweet-scented Sicilian flower with red standard j the 

 lip-like petals surrounding the keel are pale blue. Its 

 seed pod is hairy." In the same work it is subsequently 

 mentioned as Lathyrus distoplatyphyllos hir suits, moltis, magno 

 et peramceno fare odoratissimo purpureo, the latter word 

 being added to Cupani's descriptive name on the 

 authority of Dominico Sheard. 



A devout Italian monk whose full name was Father 

 Franciscus Cupani, who appears to have been a most 

 enthusiastic botanist, was responsible for a most important 

 work entitled " Hortus Catholicus," Neapoli, 1696. In 

 another small work by the same devout author in 1695, 

 Lathyrus distoplatyphyllos, etc., is among the plants newly 

 discovered in Sicily by Cupani, afterwards transferred 

 to "Hortus Catholicus," published in 1696. 



Cupani's interest in the newly discovered Sweet Pea 

 was so keen that in 1699 some seed was sent to 

 Dr Uvedale at Enfield in Middlesex, where the result- 

 ing plants were subjects of considerable interest to 

 many eminent botanists. 



Caspar Commelin of Amsterdam was also the recipient 

 of seed from the same source, in consequence of which 

 an illustration of the plant was published in the " Horti- 

 Medicl, Amstelodamensis," in 1697-1701. Commelin 

 was evidently enamoured of the plant, for in vol. ii., 

 tableau 80, of the work under notice, a well-executed 

 full-page drawing is given. The name appended is 

 Lathyrus dlstoplatyphyllus , hirsutis, mollis et odorus. An 

 appreciative article describes the plant in full detail, 



