188 LESSER BROOM RAPE. 



low colour, while tlie stem and scales are in this, 

 as in ail the species, of a dull reddish brown. 

 All the Broom Rapes are of a very acrid nature, 

 and are rejected by almost all animals. 



The literal translation of the generic name, 

 Strangle-Vetch, is very apphcable, for they 

 peculiarly infest plants of the Leguminous 

 tribe, such as have, like the Vetches, their seeds 

 in legumes or pods, and they are sadly destruc- 

 tive to them. It is said that the seeds of these 

 parasites will often lie dormant in the soil for 

 many years, till some young plant, suitable for 

 their nourishment, vegetates near them, when 

 they, too, sprout and take possession of the 

 points of its roots, which enlarge and serve as 

 their base. 



Difierent botajiists enumerate various num- 

 bers of species, some considering that slight 

 peculiarities of structure form specific distinc- 

 tions, others regarding these marks as only 

 accidental, and forming varieties merely. The 

 Greater Broom Rape is much like the plant of 

 our engraving, but a great deal larger, and 

 often above two feet hisfh. It is common on 

 Furze and Broom, and its succulent stem is as 

 thick as a finoier. 



