296 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 
In Bulletin No. 35 of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, 
published in April, 1896, Mr. O. Clute writes as follows: 
Early in 1895 my attention was called to a “pea” which was reported to 
grow luxuriantly in poor soil, to give a large amount of forage, to yield an 
unusual amount of peas, and to be eaten readily, both forage and peas, by all 
stock. The gentleman who reported this pea has no name for it. Afterwards 
the same plant. was found in Lake City and in other places in Florida, grown 
as an ornamental on trellises for shading piazzas, under the name of velvet 
bean. * * * Jt began to bloom in August, producing long clusters or 
racemes of somewhat large purple flowers, which were quite ornamental. 
The bloom was followed by plump pods of rich, dark green, covered with a 
close down, like velvet, whence probably comes the name of “velvet 
bean.” * * * JT have not been able to learn the botanical name of the plant. 
Probably it was introduced as an ornamental climber. It may have come 
years ago from the Patent Office, or more recently from the Department of 
Agriculture. * * * Mr. A. P. Newheart, of Ocoee, Fla., of whom I obtained 
the seed planted at the station at Lake City, called the plant a pea. He 
writes as follows: “ Your letter is at hand. At your request I will state that 
I know nothing of the origin of the pea, and can find no one among the old 
settlers that has the least knowledge where the pea came from. It has been 
planted here some twenty years, solely as coverings for trellises and unsightly 
places.” 
In December of the same year that Mr. Clute published his bulletin, 
Mr. Gerald McCarthy, in Bulletin No. 133 of the North Carolina 
Agricultural Experiment Station, has this note: 
BANANA OR VELVET PEA.—Dolichos multifiorus (Plate I).—The banana pea 
is not a true cowpea, though closely related. Its botanical name is Dolichos 
multifiorus, and it is a native of the southern part of Florida, extending south- 
ward into the Tropics. This pea is much more tender as regards cold than the 
common cowpea, and this, with its extremely long season of growth, reduces 
very considerably its agricultural value for North Carolina and colder States. 
The seeds are large, roundish, granite color, and speckled like the common 
“speckled”? pea. .The growth of vine is enormous, far exceeding any other 
legume known to agriculture, reaching 20 to 30 feet. 
The identification of the Florida velvet bean as Dolichos multifiorus 
Torr. (Dioclea boykinti Gray) is clearly erroneous. That plant is 
native in Florida and is very different from the velvet bean. 
Since 1896 there have been frequent press notices of the velvet bean. 
Some of the more important, as throwing light on its history, are the 
following: 
Seven years ago only two grove men here had planted the velvet bean; from 
these the acreage planted in orange groves gradually increased until last year 
there were about 25 orange groves planted to the velvet bean. The results 
were so favorable that fully 300 orange growers planted the bean for fertilizer 
alone this year.—Florida Farmer and Fruit Grower (Jacksonville, Fla.), No- 
wember 2%, 1897, p. 757. 
Although notes on this plant have already appeared in the Queensland Agri- 
cultural Journal for August and October, 1897, I think that the following infor- 
141—111 
