196 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



by others next Vide a, though really differing from both. The calyx 

 of Abrus is nearly truncate above, and its two posterior teeth are 

 more or less coherent. The claw of the standard is slightly adherent 

 to the base of the gutter formed by the staminal filaments. The 

 fruit is an oblong or linear compressed bivalve pod, with rudiments 

 of septa inside between the seeds. These are the pretty little red 



Cicer ariet innm. 



Fig. 148. 

 Habit (|). 



" peas" with a black stain at one end, so well and universally known. 

 By the characters of its fruit Abrus is sharply marked off from 

 Dalbergiece, to which series the organization of its flower would have 

 else approximated it. Its leaves are paripinnate with indefinite 

 leaflets. Excepting then this last genus, the series Viciea is most 

 natural ; so that it will be seen how slight are the characters used 

 to distinguish the several genera, and how insufficient they would 

 be deemed in many other orders. 



