PULSE FAMILY. 



107 



14. PHASE'OLUS, L. Bean. 



[The ancieut name of the Kidney Beau.] 



Ca/yx somewhat bilabiate,-the upper lid bifid or emargina te, the lower one 

 trifid. Keel (of the corolla) together with the stamens and style, spirally 

 tvvisted or incurved. Ovary stipitate, the stipe sheathed. Legume linear 

 or falcate, compressed or sabterete, tipped with the base of the style, man}^- 

 seeded. Seeds reniform, with an oval-obioug- liilam. Leaves trifoliolate. 



1. P. yulga'kis, Savi. Stem mostly volabile ; leaflets ovate acumi- 

 nate ; racemes soUtary, pedunculate ; bracts as long as the calyx ; le- 

 gumes nearly linear and straight, long-nmcronate ; seeds reniform. 

 Common Phaseolus. Kidney Bean. String Bean. Pole Bean. 



Fr. Haricot. Germ. Gcmeiue Bohne. Span. Fasoles. 



Boot annual. Sfem 4-6 or 8 feet long, slender, volubile and climbing (always twining, 

 against the sun — W. S. E.) — cr short and erect (in the bunch variety). Leaflets 2-4 or 5 

 inches long ; common petioles 1-5 or 6 inches long. Eacemes on stout peduncles 1-3 or 4 

 Inches long. CoroHa mostly white. Le^fitme 3-6 inches long. Seeds more or less reni- 

 form, whitish, or of various colors. 



Gardens and lots : cultivated. Native of India. Fl. Juno -August. Fr. September. 



Obs. Very generally cultivated for the table, — both seeds and le- 

 gumes being eaten while young ; when mature, the seeds only. The 

 " baked beans " of New England, constitute a sort of national dish 

 among the descendants of the Pilgrims. 



The P. NANUS, L. Dwarf or Bunch Bean (with a short erect stem, 

 more acuminate leaflets, and larger bracts), is supposed to be only one 

 of the many varieties produced by long culture. 



2. P. Luna'tus, L. Stem volubile, smoothisli ; leaflets obliquely- or 

 deltoid-ovate, acute ; racemes subpedunculate ; bracts shorter than the 

 calyx ; legumes broad, compressed, scymitar-form or somewhat lunate ; 

 seeds much compressed, broad. 



Lunate Phaseolus. Lima Bean. Carolina Bean. 



Root annual. Stem 6-8 or 10 feet long, branching, slender, volubile and climbing. LeaJ- 

 ?€ts 2 - 4 inches long ; common petioles 2-6 inches long. Racemes loose flowered, on pedun- 

 cles about two-thirds of an inch long. Corolla greenish-white, rather small. Legumes 

 2-3 inches long, and about an inch wide. Seeds few, large, flattish and mostly white. 



Gardens and lots : cultivated. Fl. July -August. Fr. September - October. 



Ohs. This species (supposed to be a native of Bengal — though gen- 

 erally named as if of South America,) affords a favorite dish, in the 

 latter part of summer,— the large seeds only being used. Both species 

 are tender plants, impatient of cold, and killed by the slightest frost. 



15. BAPTIS'IA, Vent. False Indigo. 



[Greek, Baptizo, to dip, or dye ; from its coloring properties.] 



Calyx 4-5-toothed. Petals nearly equal,— the keel-petals slightly 

 connected. Stamens 10, distinct. Legume ventricose, stipitate in the 

 persistent calyx, many-seeded. Herbs ; leaves mostly trifoliolate, turn- 

 ing bluish-black in drying. 



