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AGRICULTURAL VARIETIES OF THE COWPEA, 1/1 ( . 



COWPEA. 



Since the beginning of the use of binomial nomenclature in botany, 

 at least eight different specific names have been given to the cowpea. 



(1) The name Dolichos unguiculatus L. (1753) was based on plants 

 grown in the Botanic Garden at Upsala, Sweden, the seeds having 

 been obtained from Barbados. Linnseus briefly describes the plant 

 in his Hortus Upsaliensis, 1747, and again in his Species Plantarum, 

 1753. He states that the seeds were purple black. There can be 

 but little question that Linnseus's plant is the cowpea, but most sub- 

 sequent authors did not recognize this fact. Even Linnaeus himself 

 later (1758) referred to this species Rumphius's Cacara nigra, a 

 wholly different plant. The figure of Dolichos unguiculatus in 

 Jacquin, Hortus Botanicus Vindobonensis, 1770, volume 1, plate 23, 

 is really that of a catjang. 1 



(2) The name Dolichos sinensis Stickman (1759) was based on 

 the excellent description and plate of Rumphius's Dolichos sinensis. 

 (Herbarium Amboinense, vol. 5, p. 375, pi. 134.) This is clearly 

 the cowpea, but a very vining variety. Rumphius had a wide knowl- 

 edge of East Indian plants, but apparently knew but two varieties 

 of cowpea — one with white and the other with reddish seeds. 



(3) The name Phaseolus sphaerospermus L. (1763) is based pri- 

 marily on Browne's description of the black-eyed pea (Civil and 

 Natural History of Jamaica, p. 292), and secondarily on Sloane's 

 description in his catalogue of the plants of Jamaica and the figure 

 of the Calavance in his natural history of Jamaica. Both authors 

 give practically the same description, describing the plant as erect. 

 There is scarcely any doubt that the variety is the cowpea known 

 as Blackeyed Lady or sometimes Gallivant, characterized by its 

 small, globose, black-eyed seeds. 



(4) Thunberg (Transactions Linnsean Society, 1794, vol. 2, p. 339) 

 gives a brief description of Dolichos umbellatus, but does not describe 

 the seeds. He mentions, however, the plant that he had previoush T 

 described and referred to D. unguiculatus L. (Flora Japonica, 1784, 

 p. 279). In this first description Thunberg gives the Japanese name 

 as " Sasage " or " Naga sasage." Under Sasage the Japanese include, 

 according to Useful Plants of Japan, both the asparagus bean 

 (Juroku sasage) and the cowpea (Sasage, Aka sasage, Hata sasage, 

 etc.). To what variety the name Naga sasage refers is uncertain, but 

 Sasage alone seems to be used for vining varieties, especially one with 

 white seeds. To judge wholly by the figure in Useful Plants of 

 Japan, which represents a variety not as yet obtained from Japan, 

 Thunberg's plant would be referred to Vigna unguiculata. Among the 

 varieties the Japanese cultivate are forms referable to V. catjang, V. 



1 See note on page 143. 



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