230 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 
ovulate; style inflexed, slightly flattened dorsally above, longi- 
tudinally bearded with minute hairs on inner face; apex minutely 
capitate, stigmatiferous. Legume compressed, continuous within, 
1-2-seeded, 2-valved. Seeds lenticular compressed; funicle thin, 
soon dilated into a thin arched aril covering long, ovate or oblong 
hilum ; embryo thick; cotyledons usually orbiculate; radicle in- 
flexed accumbent. —Erect or subscandent herbs; leaves alternate 
imparipinnate ; odd leaflet, or sometimes 2 or 3 highest, terminating 
in a bristle or tendril; stipels 0; stipules scarcely adnate to petiole, 
membranous acute, semisagittate at base; flowers small, solitary or 
in few-flowered racemes, pedunculate, spuriously axillary ; bracts 
and bractlets 0 or rudimentary’ (Southern Europe, Western Asia, 
Northern Africa’). 
3. Lathyrus T.*—Receptacle widely cupuliform, slightly concave, 
glandular within. Calyx gamosepalous, more or less oblique; teeth 
5, equal; or superior teeth shorter and more obtuse, imbricated. 
Petals very unequal; standard broadly obovate or orbicular, emar- 
ginate, narrowed at base into a broad claw; wings falcate-oblong or 
obovate, either adhering within at middle to keel or free, narrowly 
unguiculate; keel shorter than or nearly equal to wings, curved 
obtuse pointed. Stamens 10; vexillary stamen free or more rarely 
connate with remainder to a variable height; mouth of sheath 
usually nearly even; filaments at apex free inflexed filiform or 
dilated ; anthers uniform. Germen subsessile or stipitate ; ovules a 
or more rarely few ; style inflexed, flattened and often hardened at 
apex ; posterior face (often finally more or less lateral or anterior by 
torsion) longitudinally bearded; apex minutely capitate or subglo- 
bose, terminal stigmatiferous. Legume compressed or subterete, 
continuous within, few or o-seeded, 2-valved. Seeds globose or 
angular, more rarely compressed ; funicle (as in Pisum) dilated along 
hilum; embryo thick; radicle inflexed accumbent.—Herbs, low or 
climbing by means of tendrils ; branches sometimes winged ; leaves 
alternate pinnate 2--jugate; petiole terete or angular or more 
1 This genus, formerly united by Linnzus ® Species 8, according to ArEr. (Bonplandia 
with Cicer, by Vistant (FI. Dalmat., 324) [1861], 128), but to be reduced to 2 or 3 in the 
with Lathyrus, ought, we think, scarcely to be —_ opinion of Bntu.(Gen.,526).—L., Spec.,1039.— 
separated generically from section Hrvum of  DC., Prodr., ii. 366, sect. 1. 
Vicia, 3 See p, 194. 
