LATHYKCS 



LA UK US 



889 



Species covered witli a bluish Viloom. Since it is a mari- 

 time plant, salt is said to assist its growth. It is soine- 

 times regarded as an annual. Yav. ilbus, Hurt., "Loiu* 

 Anson's White," is the whiti- form. 



cc. Lcs. wiUt more tha)i. 1 pair of leaflets. 



9. paliistris, Ijiun. Marsh Pea. Wing-stemmed Wilr 

 Pea. Stem slender, l-:{ ft. long, glabrous or sonifwiiat 

 pubescent, often winged, rather erect: Ifts. 2-4 pairs, 

 oblong-lanceolate, acute, 1-"J in. long; tendrils branched ; 

 stipules small, lanceolate: peduncles 2-8-fid., scarcely 

 longer than the Ivs.: tls. ])urplish, 3.2 in. long: pod 'J in. 

 long. Summer. Northern N. America and N, Europo. 

 in moist places.— A good bog i)lant. Var. myrtlfdlius, 

 Gray {L. myrtlfdlius, Mnhl.). Myrtle-leaved IMahsh- 

 PEA. Has smaller, obtuse Ivs., broader and larger stip- 

 ules, tlie fls. pale purple. July, Aug. Banks of rivers, 

 northern North America to N. ('. 



10. maritimus, Bigel. Sea or Seaside Pea. Beach 

 F*EA. Stem stout, 1-J ft. long, angled, decumbent: Ifts. 

 '3-1} pairs, ovate-oblong, thick, glaucous, nearly blue. 

 1-2 in. long; stipules leaf-like, broadly ovate and cor- 

 date-hastate: peduncles (i-lO-Hd., a little shorter than 

 the Ivs.: fls. purple; wings and keel paler. '4 in. long: 

 pod IK in- long, hairy. May~Aug. Gravelly seacoasts 

 throughout northern hemisphere.— A spreading plant 

 with creeping rootstock and of rapid growth, very tena- 

 cious of life. A good plant in rock gardens and in 

 gravelly soil. 



n. vendsus, Muhl. Showy Wild Pea. Stem stout, 

 2-3 ft. long, finely pubes<'t'nt, strongly 4-angled: Ifts. 

 4-6 pairs, oblong-ovate, obtuse, often pubescent below. 

 2 in. long; stipules narrow, short: peduncle crowded, 

 8-lfl-tid., rather shorter than the Ivs.: fls. purple, (1-8 

 lint's long: pod smooth. -June. July. Shady places ami 

 along streams, Canada to Ga. S.B.F.G. II. 37. 



12. spUndens, Kellogg. Pride op California. Stem 

 suhshruhhy, slender, more or less soft-pubescent: Ifts. 

 4-(i, ovate-oblong to linear, }i~\ in. long, acute; stipuh-s 

 narrow: peduncle 6-12-tld. : tts. pale rose or violet, largo. 

 Dry hills of coast ranges, Calif. Gn. .52:113,3. — A greeTi- 

 house plant 1ft. long or more, becoming 8-10 ft. at honip, 

 where it dies down during the summer. Elsewhere it 

 adapts itself to climate but is not hardy in N, United 

 States. Sometimes confused with a variety of L. Jali- 

 foUus. 



1243. 

 Lathyrus 

 latifolius, 



CX %.) 



AA. Habit not clitnhiiKj: ?r.s\ uot tendril-h'^aritig. 



{(frobii.s.) 



B. Fls. ycUow. 



13. montinus, Bernh.(OVo^y;(,<i iHteus,!^^!^. L. Jufens, 

 Baker). Stem simple, angled, smooth: Ifts. b~S pairs, 

 large, elliptic-lanceolate, pointed, glaucous below: pe- 

 duncles many-fld., a little shorter than the Ivs.: tls. 

 large, orange-vellow. June, July. Forests of the Alps. 



S.B.F.(t. II. II.'. — A shade-enduring species with Hs. 

 ill erect, spike-liko clusters and adapted to borders and 

 ruckeries. 



BB. Fls. )ii>l i/t'l/cir. 



U. polym6rphtis, Niitt. Prairie Vetohling. Stem 

 rather stout, usually low, glabrous or tinely pubescent, 

 rrect, a little woody at the base: Ifts. 3-(J pairs, scat- 

 tered, narrowly oblong, acute, thick, 1-2 in. long; stipules 

 narrowly acuminate: peduncle 2-0-Hd., a little longer 

 than the Ivs.: lis. purple, large. March-July. Grassy, 

 alluvial plains, Colo, to New Mex. and Ariz. 



15. niger, Bernh. (drobus nhjer, Linn.). Blatk Pe.\. 

 Blac-k Bitter Veti.'H. Stem erect or ascendiny:, 

 liranched, angled, 1-2 ft. long: Ifts. G-8 pairs, elliptical 

 or ovate, ^.-1 in. long, light green, turning black when 

 drying ; stipu h-s narrow, small : peduncles 0-8-f1d . . 

 longer than tlie Ivs.: fis. purple, small. June, July. 

 Mountainous and rocky districts, Middle Europe. B.M. 

 22(il. — Slender species, with short rootstock, succeediii;;^ 

 in the shade. 



in. vernus, Mmdi. {('h-ohu.s }->'ni)fs, Linn.). Sprint, 

 Bitter \'ETt'H. Stem simple, somewhat pubescent, 1-2 

 ft. loug: Ifts. 2-3. jiairs, ovate-acuminate, light green; 

 stipules entire: peduncles .')-7-fld., shorter than the Ivs.: 

 tls. blue-violet; keel sliadeil with green, nodding. May. 

 June. Hills and woods, S. and central Europe. B.M. 

 521.— The most pojiular (jrobus; a conijtact. tufted idant, 

 growing quickly in sun or a little shade; best in deeji. 

 sandy loam, in a sheltered position; hardy. Var. albus, 

 a white form, is rare. 



L. gaJdgiformis and L. Hrlnetinifi are names in the American 

 trade, but cannot V)ei)laced botauicjilly.— />. tuberdfum, Linn., has 

 lieen imported by an American amateur. It differs from all de- 

 si-rilted aliove by having tiiVier.s. It is a n.ative of the nortliei'u 

 ]iarts of the OM World, and bears red Howers, which are gener- 

 ally fewer ami smaller tlian those of L. sylvestris. 



A. Phelps Wyman. 



LAtTREL. Properly LaiiDts j'o?^<7/.s-, but other broad- 

 leaved i-vi-rgreens ha\'e taken the name. In America, 

 tlie Kalniias are known as Laurels. The Cherry Laurel 

 is Primus La 11 ro-rrra sus r^^'nd in AmerUyA P. Ca rol inia )ia . 

 Portugal Laurel, is P. LKsifa)iica . Ground Laurel is 

 Epigfea. 



LAURESTINTJS. Popular name of ]'(bifr>nim Tinus. 



LAUROCERASUS. Consult Prxnus. 



LAtTRUS nbbilis (Laurus is the ancient name) is 

 the Sweet Bay tree of the florists, the most universal of 

 all evergreen tub-plants. It is native to the Mediterra- 

 nean region, sometimes attaining a heightof 40 to 60 ft., 

 but rarely assuming a true tree-like form. As a culti- 

 vated subject, it is grown as a small standard tree, with 

 a close-sheared top. The plant endures abuse and 

 neglect, the head can be trimmed to almost any shape. 

 and the growth mav be kept within small limits year 

 after year. F.K. 1 :t;"fj*l (Fig. 1244). It is, therefore, the 

 most popular of plants for decoration of open-air or ex- 

 posed restaurants, esplanades, architectural appurte- 

 nances, and the like. Although much used in America, 

 it is still more i)opular in Europe. Of the European 

 dealers one may order plants with heads trained to pyra- 

 mids, cones, globes, and the like, and with bodies long 

 or short. The plant will endure considerable frost. It 

 is grown in the open in England: "The Sweet Bay 

 bush in the farmer's or cottage garden comes with its 

 story from the streams of Greece, where it seeks mois- 

 ture" in a thirsty land along with the wild Olive and the 

 Arbutus. And this Sweet Bay is the Laurel of the poets, 

 of the tirst and greatest of all poet and artist nations of 

 the earth — the Laurel sacred to Apollo, and used in 

 many ways in his worship, as we may see on coins, and 

 in inanv other things that remain to us of the great peo- 

 ples of' the past" (Gn. 47. pp. 301, 307). Although so 

 universally used, there are few important horticultural 

 varieties, — the variegated-leaved and crisped-leaved 

 forms being the best known. Prop, by cuttings, and 

 sometimes by seeds. 



Laurus gives name to the family La urcioe ce, which in- 

 cludes Cinnamomum. Camphora. Persea. Sassafras, 

 Benzoin, and other genera. Many species have been re- 



