260 LEGUMINOS^. [Lathteus. 



flattish, continuous within.— Species about 100, chiefly in the N. 

 Temperate zone. 



Leaflets ahortiye, flowers yellow , . 1. L. Aphaca. 

 Leaflets 2, flowers red, bluish or white. 



Pods oblong, winged on the back . 2. L. sativus. 



Pods linear, not winged , . . 3. L. sphoericus. 



1. L Aphaca, Linn. Sp. II. 729; Boxh. PI. Ind. Hi, 322; Boyle III. 

 200; F.B.I, a, 179; Watt E. D. 



An annual with slender wingless much branched stems. Stipules in 

 pairs, appressed to the stem, leaf -like, hastate, truncate, entire ; leaflets 

 abortiye. Floive7's 1-2, on a long peduncle. Calyx ^ in.; teeth equal, 

 lanceolate, exceeding the tube. Corolla yellow, twice the calyx. Pod 

 linear-oblong, wingless, 4-6-seeded. 



Common within the area, especially in cultivated ground. Distbib. Pun- 

 jab, Bengal and C. India, ascending to the temperate zone on the W. 

 Himalaya. The plant is used in some places for cattle-fodder. 



2. L. sativus, Linn. Sp. PI. 730; Roxh. Fl. Ind. Hi, 321; Boyle III' 

 200; F.B.I, a, 180; DO. L'Orig. PI. Cult. 88; Field SfGard. Crops 



II, 15, t. 32; Watt E. D.—Yexn. Kasdri, Kassar, tinra, latri (Azamgarh), 

 mattar' 



A glabrous much-branched annual with winged stems' Leaves ending in 

 3-fid tendrils ; stipules broad, entire, acuminate, semi-sagittate ; 

 petiole about 1 in., winged ; leaflets 2, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, 

 entire- Peduncles longer than the petioles, l-flowered= Cal9/a;-teeth 

 spreading in fl wer, lanceolate, about twice as long as the tube* Corolla 

 I in-, reddish-purple or blue, rarely white ; standard rather broader 

 than long, emarginate- Pod 1^ in. long, with a conspicuous wing on 

 either side of the dorsal suture- Seeds 4-5, compressed, brown or 

 yellowish, marbled with red- 



Extensively cultivated as a cold-weather crop within the area, especially 

 in the eastern districts of the United Provinces. It is grown also in the 

 Punjab, Bengal and in C. and S. India, and on the Himalaya up to 

 4,000 ft. According to DeCandolle this species was indigenous, before 

 cultivation, in the region extending from the south of the Caucasus to 

 the north of India. The pulse, which is largely consumed by the poorer 

 classes, especially in times of scarcity, has a bad reputation for causing 

 paralysis ; and horses and cattle also suffer in a similar manner. The 

 poisonous action of the seed is attributed to the presence of a volatile 

 alkaloid, which,ias Dr. Watt suggests, may not be present in properly 

 cocked preparations of the grain. The plant is often miich used as 

 fodder- 



