158 LEGUMINOSiE. - Lathyrus. 



3. Lathyrus myrtifolius, MuM. Myrtle-leaved Vetchling. 



Whole plant smooth ; stem slender, often slightly winged ; leaflets 2-3 (rarely 4) pairs, 

 oval-elliptical or oblong, obtuse at each end ; stipules ovate-semisagittate, smaller than the 

 leaflets, nearly entire ; peduncles 3 - 6-flowered, longer than the leaves ; upper teeth of the 

 calyx broad and shortest, the others triangular-lanceolate. — Muhl. in Willd. sp. 3. p. 1091 ; 

 Pursh, fl. 2. p. 471 ; DC. prodr. 2. p. 371 ; Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 159 ; Torr. ^ Gr. ft. 

 N. Am, 1. p. 275. L. stipulaceus, Le Conte in Torr. cat. pi. N. York, p. 92; DC. I. c; 

 Hook. I. c. 



Stem 2-4 feet long, climbing or straggling. Leaflets 1 - H inch long and half an inch 

 or more in breadth, somewhat glaucous underneath, rather coriaceous, with prominent veins. 

 Stipules usually much smaller than the leaflets, but sometimes half an inch long, acute at each 

 end, often coarsely toothed at the base. Flowers pale purple ; the wings and keel whitish. 

 Legume oblong-linear, compressed, smooth. 



Banks of rivers, borders of swamps, etc. Northern and western counties ; also in the 

 neighborhood of New- York. 



This plant can generally be distinguished from the following, by its more slender stem, and 

 broader leaflets and stipules ; but there sometimes occur forms that seem almost intermediate 

 between the two species. 



4. Lathyrus palustris, Linn. Marsh Vetchling. 



Plant mostly smooth ; stems often winged, rather rigid ; leaflets 3 (sometimes 4) pairs, 

 oblong, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, somewhat coriaceous ; stipules semisagittate, lanceo- 

 late, acuminate at each end ; peduncles 3 - 5-flowered. — Linn. sp. 1034 ; Engl, hot, t. 169 ; 

 Michx. ft. 2. p. 66 ; Pursh, fl. 2, p. 471 ; Bigel. fl. Bost. p. 209 ; DC. prodr. 2. p. 371 ; 

 Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 161 ; Torr. <^ Gr. fl. N. Am. 1. p. 276. 



Stem 2-3 feet long, climbing or straggling, rarely pubescent, the angles commonly more 

 or less winged. Leaflets 1 i - 2j inches long, often not more than 3-4 lines wide. Pedun- 

 cles at length exceeding the leaves. Calyx tinged with purple ; the upper teeth short and 

 triangular ; the lower and lateral ones lanceolate, about the length of the tube. Corolla bluish 

 purple. Legume broadly linear, compressed, pubescent. 



Wet borders of streams ; common in the northern and western parts of the State. Fl. 

 July - August. 



