12 



AGRICULTURAL VARIETIES OF THE COWPEA, ETC. 



(1) Burmann (Flora Indica, 1768, p. 161) gives a brief description 

 of Dolichos catjang and refers to Rumphius's description and plate of 

 Phaseolus minor (Herbarium Amboinense, vol. 5, p. 383, pi. 139). 

 Rumphius's plate is excellent and there can be no doubt as to the 

 identity of his plant, which was a bushy, nontwining, low variety 

 with black-eyed white seeds. Linnaeus (Mantissa, 1771, vol. 1, p. 269) 

 refers to Burmann's description of Dolichos catjang the description 

 and plate of Rumphius above cited, and Rheede's description and 

 plate of the Paeru (Hortus Malabaricus, 1688, vol. 8, p. 75, pi. 41). 

 Rheede's figure is without doubt the catjang. He speaks of the 

 seeds being yellowish to red. In the Systema Plantarum, edition 13, 

 1796, volume 2, part 2, page 1105, the specific name is changed to a 

 Latin form " catianus." 



(2) Forskal (Fl. ^gypt, Arab., 1775, p. 133) states that Dolichos 

 lubia is frequently cultivated in the fields of Egypt. The plant is 

 described as diffuse and procumbent. The size and color of the seeds 

 are not given but the pods are said to be erect and scabrous. The 

 Arabian name is given as " Lubia baeladi." This plant is probably 

 the catjang, but the scabrous character of the pod is suspicious. No 

 varieties of either cowpea or catjang have been imported from Lower 

 Egypt. 



(3) The plant Dolichos tranquebaricus Jacquin (Hortus Botanicus 

 Vindobonensis, 1776, vol. 3, p. 39, pi. 70) is beautifully figured by 

 Jacquin from specimens grown at Vienna, the seeds from Tranque- 

 bar, Madras, India. It is a twining catjang with purple flowers, 

 blooming late, small pods 2| inches long, and buff seeds 4 mm. long. 

 It is very similar to, if not identical with, S. P. I. No. 29305. 



The technical name of the catjang under botanical rules is Vigna 

 catjang (Burn.) Walp. 



It is not unlikely that some of the other botanical names under 

 the genera Phaseolus and Dolichos also apply to the above species of 

 Vigna. It probably would require an examination of the original 

 specimens to determine this positively. Some botanical authors have 

 considered that the catjang and the cowpea are mere varieties of the 

 same species, and have thus classified them. Exactly the same argu- 

 ments, however, apply to the asparagus bean. As a matter of con- 

 venience it would seem preferable to maintain all three as species, 

 though a complete series of connecting forms exists. 



Besides the above three species of Vigna two others have been re- 

 ported to be cultivated. One of these is Vigna nilotica Delile, which 

 Sir J. D. Hooker (Niger Flora, p. 311) says occurs in Lower Egypt, 

 Nubia, Abyssinia, Senegambia, German East Africa, Mozambique, 

 and also in Syria, adding that it is known as " mash " by the Arabs. 

 The original description of this plant was by Forskal, who errone- 

 ously referred it to Dolichos sinensis. He states that it occurs in wet 



229 



