THE BOTANICAL HISTORY OF THE CULTIVATED VIGNAS. 11 



sesquipedalis, and V. unguiculata, as well as others that are probably 

 of hybrid origin between these species. It should be pointed out, 

 however, that Maximowicz, followed by Prain (Journal of the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal, 1897, vol. 66, p. 429), inclines to the view that 

 Thunberg's plant is to be referred to Vigna vexillata (L.) Benth. 



(5) Dolichos monaehalis Brotero (Flora Lusitanica, 1804, vol. 2, 

 p. 125), commonly called " Feijao fradibono," is said to be cultivated 

 throughout Lusitania, Portugal. Brotero describes the plants as 

 bushy or but little vining and the seeds as subreniform, 2J lines 

 broad, 4 to 5 lines long, white or whitish with a black eye. He states 

 that this color is the most frequent, but that varieties with yellowish, 

 red, black, and black-spotted seeds occur. He considers the plant to 

 be either an American degenerate or more likely a hybrid between 

 Dolichos catjang and D. sinensis, both on account of its close affinity 

 and also " because occasionally, though very rarely, it produces seeds 

 like the parents." Under his description of Dolichos sinensis, Brotero 

 says the plant is twining and the seeds whitish, adding that it " de- 

 generates very quickly and is changed into Dolichos monaehalis." 

 Under Phaseolus nanus, he notes that it is a dwarf variety arising 

 under cultivation " just as our Dolichos monaehalis is a dwarf variety 

 of D. sinensis" From these notes there can be practically no doubt 

 that Brotero based his species largely on its bushy form and that his 

 type is one of the common varieties with black-eyed white seeds. 



(6) The name Dolichos melanophthalmus DC. (1825) is based on 

 a black-eyed variety of cowpea cultivated in Yasconia (Gascony, 

 France, now the provinces of Landes and Gers) and in Italy. 



(7) The name Dolichos olevaceus Schumacher (1827) is based 

 on a plant from Guinea, TTest Africa, the seeds of which are de- 

 scribed as variegated. It is in all probability a variety of cowpea. 



(8) The name Dolichos bicontortus Durieu (Actes, Societe Lin- 

 neeme de Bordeaux, 1896, vol. 27, p. liii) is based on two Japanese 

 varieties, one with buff (fulvous) seeds, the other with red, the pods 

 in both being circinate or coiled. The variety with buff seeds is 

 illustrated by a beautiful colored plate in Flore des Serres, 1873, 

 volume 19, plate 1985. It is very similar to S. P. I. No. 21296A, from 

 Rangoon district, Burma, India. The red-seeded form is certainly 

 the same as No. 29278 from the Tokyo Botanic Garden. The distinc- 

 tion of the curved or coiled pod seems to be of formal value only. 



Under botanical rules, the proper name for the cowpea is Vigna 

 unguiculata (L) Walp., all of the other names being synonyms. 1 



CATJANG. 



The catjang has had a much simpler botanical history than the 

 cowpea, with which many authors have united it as a variety. 



229 



1 See note on page 143. 



