LEGUMINOUS PLANTS. 425 



late, or narrowly lanceolate, tapering to a blunt point, thin, 3-5 inches 

 long; racemes much panicled; June, September; common. 



DESMODIUM STRICTUM, D. C.--(Stiff Tick Trefoil). 



Stem very straight and slender, simple, 2-3 feet high, the upper part 

 and narrow panicle rough, glandular; leaflets linear, blunt, strongly re- 

 ticulated thickish, very smooth, 1-2 inches long, inch wide; joints of 

 the pod 1-3 semi-obovate or very gibbous, only two lines long. Cedar 

 barrens. 



The main bulk of the pea-vine food found in the forest and unculti- 

 vated regions, consists of the various species of this genus, several of 

 which would certainly do well in cultivation. Amongst those, D. pau- 

 ciflorurn, and D. nudiflorum, cuspidatum and Canadense are best. 



APIOS TUBEROSA s Momch--(GnmwZ nut.) 



A twining and climbing vine; flowers in crowded oval racemes, fra- 

 grant, of a dull purple, mixed with green; legume 3-5 inches long, 8-10 

 seeded; plant with some milky juice. August, September. The root 

 bears tubers which are farinaceous and eatable. Hogs know how to find 

 them. The plant ought to be tried under cultivation, as the size and 

 quality of the tuber would perhaps become gradually improved. 



PHASEOLUS PERENNIS, Walt ( Wild Kidney Bean). 



Calyx 5-toothed, or 5-cleft, the two upper teeth higher united; keel 

 of the corolla with the included stamens and style spirally coiled or 

 curved into a ring; stamens diadelphous; climbing higher from a peren- 

 nial root; leaflets roundish, ovate, short panicled; pods drooping, 

 strongly cured, 4-5 seeded; flowers purple, handsome. Copses, common; 

 valuable. July, September. 



PHASEOLUS DIVERSIFOLIUS, Pers--( Creeping Kidney Bean). 

 Annual; stem prostrate, spreading, rough, hairy; leaflets ovate; 3- 

 lobed, or angled towards the base, or some of them oblong, ovate and 

 entire ; peduncles at length, twice the length of the leaves. Corolla 

 greenish white, tinged with purple. Prairies and cedar glades; summer. 

 Good. 



PHASEOLUS HELVOLUS, Ii.(L<mg Stalked Kidney Bean). 



Perennial, hairy; stem diffuse, slender; leaflets ovate or oblong, en- 

 tire or obscurely angled. Peduncles 3-6 times the length of the leaves 

 Flowers as large as in the former, and similar. One single plant makes 

 a great quantity of herbage. It could perhaps be gathered with some 

 profit and used from the native state. Good for all stock. 



