420 LEGUMINOSyE 



Ex. 221. — Dig up completely a half-grown plant of bean, pea and vetch, 

 and study the manner of branching in each. 



Ex. 222. — Compare the flowers of the bean, pea and vetch, and note any 

 points of difference between them, Compare their leaves also. 



Ex. 223. — Make a collection of seeds of the different varieties of field bean, 

 field pea, and vetch. 



7. VetcMings or ETerlasting Peas (genus Lathyrus). — This is 

 an extensive genus of climbing plants much resembling vetches, 

 but with fewer leaflets and a ilattened style. Eight or nine 

 species are wild in this country, and are known as vetchlings or 

 everlasting peas, although some of them are annuals. They 

 are all eaten by cattle. 



The commonest species is the meadow vetchling (Lathyrus 

 praiensis L.), which is frequent in meadows and hedges. It 

 grows 2 or 3 feet high, and has narrow lanceolate leaflets and 

 racemes of bright yellow flowers. 



The Wood VetcMing (Lathyrus sylvestris L.) grows in 

 woods and thickets ; it has winged stems, and often climbs to 

 a height of 5 or 6 feet. The leaves possess tendrils and have 

 one pair of large lanceolate leaflets from 3 to 6 inches long and 

 half an inch broad. 



Usually four or five flowers are present on each long peduncle : 

 the ' standard ' petal is rosy-pink, the ' wings ' purple. This 

 plant has been selected and cultivated on the continent as a 

 perennial fodder crop, and is termed Wagner's Everlasting Pea 

 (Z. sylvestris L., form Wagneri). Like lucerne it withstands 

 drought, and when once established gives very large yields of 

 highly nutritious food. 



The seed is at present expensive, and germinates very slowly 

 in the open field. 



Wagner's everlasting pea possesses few, if any, advantages 

 over lucerne and other leguminous crops at present in use on the 

 farm, and we see little need of its introduction. 



