﻿w 1915. 83 



40798 to 40802— Continued. 



leaves elongate-elliptic, obtuse; those of the upper larger, lanceolate, 

 short mucronate, from less than 1 cm. to about 9 cm. long, 4 to 10 mm. 

 broad. Stipules large, about as long or slightly longer than the 

 petiole, lanceolate, semisagittate. Inflorescence 1 flowered. Flowers 

 up to 1 cm. long, erect or nodding. Petals dull red, of varying length. 

 Standard obovate, emarginate, brown veined, seldom clear, longer 

 than the wings ; these longer than the keel. Keel whitish, dull violet 

 on the tip. Europe. (Adapted from Ascherson and Graeoner, Synop- 

 sis der Mitteleuropdischen Flora, vol. 6, p. 1006, 1910.) 



40799. Lathyeus pisifoemis L. 



See S. P. I. No. 32192 for previous introduction and description. 



40800. Lathyeus spathtjlatus Celak. 



Glabrous plants with ascending, sharply angled stems. The lower 

 stems leafless, the upper remotely leaved. Leaves subdigitate, quater- 

 nate, short petioled. Leaflets narrowly linear-lanceolate, mucronate- 

 acuminate, short subciliolate. Stipules narrowly linear, semisagittate, 

 longer than the short petioles. Petioles slender, elongated, much ex- 

 ceeding the leaves, loosely 5 to 8 flowered. Corolla blue; standard 

 obovate-obtuse, much longer than the keel ; keel obtuse, not bearded ; 

 wings covering and exceeding the keel. (Adapted from Celakovsky, 

 Oesterreichische Botanische Zeitschrift, vol. 38, p. 6, 1888.) 

 40801 and 40802. Oenothera spp. Onagracese. 

 Introduced for the work of Mr. H. H. Bartlett in plant breeding. 



40801. Oenothera odoeata Jacq. Evening primrose. 



40802. Oenotheea pumila L. Small sundrop. 



40803. Lathyrtjs cyaneus (Stev.) C. Koch. Fabacese. 



From Paris, France. Presented by Prof. Julien Costantin, Musee d'His- 

 toire Naturelle. Received May 10, 1915. Introduced for the breeding 

 experiments of Mr. David Burpee. 

 This plant is similar to L. sessilifolius, but the leaves are more distinctly 

 nerved. The standard is twice longer than the calyx (subequal in L. sessilifo- 

 lius.) The calyx is larger and more retuse at the base. Keel less acuminate. 

 Color of the flowers more intensely blue, with slighter tendency toward purple. 

 The four leaflets are ensiform. (Adapted from Steven, in Memoires de la 

 Societe des Naturalistes de Moscou, vol. 4, P- 91, 1913.) 



40804. Raphia taedigera Martius. Phcenicacese. Palm. 



From San Jose, Costa Rica. Presented by Mr. J. E. Van der Laat, director, 

 Department of Agriculture. Received May 4, 1915. 



" Seeds proportionately oily and resinous, so that they have commanded the 

 attention of certain industries in North America." (Van der Laat.) 



One of the most striking palms which grow in the rich alluvial bottoms along 

 the lower Amazon River. The trunk does not exceed 6 or 8 feet in height and is 

 about a foot in diameter, clothed for the most part with the persistent sheathing 

 bases of the leafstalks. The leaves are feather shaped and are among the largest 

 in the vegetable kingdom, some of them reaching 40 to 50 feet in length and 

 covering a surface of more than 200 square feet. The flowers are of a greenish 

 olive color and densely crowded, and the fruit is about the size of a hen's egg or 

 smaller and is covered with large scales. The leafstalk is 12 to 15 feet long aud 



