The BRITISH HERBAL. 
297 
At fea they eat the dried feeds in the manner of 
peafe ; but this is a coarfe method, occafioned by 
neceflity. The young pod is the proper part, 
2. Scarlet Kidneybean. 
Thajeolus fiore coccineo major. 
The root is long, flcnder, and hung with a 
great number of fibres. 
The ftalk is of a pale green, flender, and 
weak : when fupported it will grow to fix or 
eight feet in height ; but otherwife it trails on the 
ground, and is fhorter. 
The leaves are placed on long footftalk?, and 
three ftand on each 1 thele are long, broad at the 
bafe, fiiarp at the point, and of a fine green. 
The flowers are large, and of a bright fcarlet ; 
they fland in a kind of fpikes upon long foot- 
ftaiks. 
The fecd-veffel is large and oblong: the feeds 
are large and fpotted. 
It is a native of the Eafl Indies, and flowers in 
July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Pbafeolus hidictis fiore cocci- 
neo ; and others follow him. 
GENUS IV. 
B I R D S - F E A. 
O C H R U S. 
^-r^IIE flower is papilionaceous. The vcxilium. is very broad, and nipp'd at tlie top. The alte 
X are rourldifli, and convergent. The carina is fliort, flatted, and of the fliape of a new moon. 
The cup is formed of a fingle piece, divided into five fegments. The feed-vefi"el is long and large, 
and the feeds are round ; they are fixed to the receptacle by a long rim. The leaves are fingle, and 
have tendrils at the end. 
Linnsus places this among the diadelphia decmidria ; the threads being ten, and difpofcd as in the 
preceding genera. 
This author does not allow the ochriis to be a di{lin(5l genus. He makes it a fpecies of fea ; but it 
is fufficicntly diilinguiflied by Nature. There is but one known fpecies of this genus, and it has at 
all times been judlcioufly held diftinft by authors. 
The Birds-Pea. 
Ochi'us. 
The root is long, flender, and furniflied with 
many fibres. 
The flialks are numerous, weak, flender, and 
of a pale green : they lie upon the ground, if not 
fupported : but, when there are buflies near, they 
will run up to two feet and a half in height. 
The leaves are of a very Angular fiiape and 
ftrudhure : their bafe is leafy, and runs down the 
ftalk ; from thence they run out broader to the 
extremity, where they divide into two parts, pro- 
perly the leaves of the plant, and have tendrils. 
\Vc call the leaves fingle, in compliance with 
cuftom -, but the fingle part is truly z kind of 
bafe all the way, on which grow thefe two 
feparate leaves. 
The flowers ftand fingly on fliort footflalks in 
the bofoms of the leaves ; and they are fmall and 
white. 
The feed-vefl"cl is long, and the feeds are 
round. 
It is common wild in the corn-fields of Italy, 
and in the Greek iflands. It flowers in Augufl. 
C. Bauhine calls it Ochr us folio Integra capreolos 
emittente. Others Amply Ochrus, and fome Er- 
vilia. 
GENUS V. 
L E N T I L L. 
LENS. 
THE flower Is papilionaceous. The vexillum is large, broad, and obtufe. The al^ are of the 
fame form with the vexillum, and about half its bignefs. The carina is very fmall, and fliarp- 
pointed. The cup is divided into five narrow and longiOi parts. The feed-veflil is fhort, and 
the feeds are two in each pod, and they are round. 
Linnsus places this among the diadelpbia dccandria, as the preceding : and he makes the cicer or 
chkh a fpecies of this genus; but they are fufficiently diftinft from the particular form' of the chicb 
feed, and always have been called by feparate names. 
Common Lentil!. 
Levs vulgaris. 
The root is fmall, Jongifii, and full of fibres. 
The fl:a!ks are numerous and weak: they are 
oF a pale green, and lie upon the ground in great 
part, unlefs they meet v/ith bufhes or fticks for 
fupport. 
5 
The leaves are long, narrow, and beautifully 
pinnated : each is compofed of feveral pairs of 
fliort, oval pinns, with a tendril inftead of an 
odd leaf at the end. 
The flowers are fmall, and of a faint purple : 
they grow on long, flender footfl:alks, rifing from 
the bofoms of the leaves, two on each. 
4 G The 
