FABACEJE. 165 



DOLICHOS. 



Gen. Char. (BiadelpMa Decandria.) Standard with two small 

 callosities at the base, parallel, oblong, compressing the wings 

 beneath. 



Dolickos is a Greek word meaning long. This is a genus 

 of climbing plants, some of them reaching to the top of 

 high conservatories, or even to the tops of tall trees in their 

 native country. Some of the species require the heat of the 

 stove ; a few are even hardy enough to bear the open air in 

 summer, such as heteropliyllus, monachalis, Niloticus, Sinen- 

 sis, vexillatus, and melanophthalmus ; the following require 

 greenhouse shelter entirely : — D. lignosus, from the East 

 Indies, and its variety called the "Sickle-podded," have 

 rose-coloured or purple flowers ; hirsutus, purple, and pla- 

 seoloides, lilac-flowered, a native of China ; pubescens, straw- 

 coloured, from South America ; lobatus, from the Cape, and 

 reticulatus, from Australia, both with purple flowers ; Ca» 

 pensis, also from the Cape, has yellow flowers. 



These climbers are easily raised from cuttings, but are 

 best propagated by seeds; the soil should be peat and 

 loam. 



