NAT. ORDER. 
Papilionace. 
DOLICHOS PRURIENS. COMMON COWHAGE. 
Class XVII. Diadelphia. Order IV. Decandria. 
Gen. Char. Banner, at the base of the standard, compressing 
the wings underneath ; oblong and two-parallel. 
Spe. Char. Stem., flexuous. Racemes, axillary. Glumes, erect, 
pendulous, hispid, containing seeds. 
The root is perennial and fibrous ; the stem is herbaceous, 
climbing, cylindrical, hairy, divided into many branches, which 
twist round the neighboring trees, and rise to a considerable height ; 
the leaves are ternate, and stand upon long footstalks, placed alter- 
nately at the distance of about a foot from each other; eachpwma, 
or lobe, is entire, ovate, pointed, smooth on the upper side, on the 
under hirsute ; the lateral lobes are oblique, and somewhat larger 
than that in the middle, which is of a rhomboidal shape; the Jloioers 
are large, of a purplish or violet color, and are mostly ternate, placed 
upon short peduncles, and form pendant spikes, which arise from the 
axils of the leaves, and are about a foot in length ; the proper foot- 
stalks are short, and furnished with small stipules ; the calyx is bell- 
shaped, gibbous at the base, lax downy, divided into two lips, of 
which the upper is semi-ovate ; the under separates into three lance- 
shaped segments ; the corolla is of the papilionaceous order, consisting 
of a vexillum, or standard, which is roundish, entire, concave, obtuse, 
and double the length of the calyx ; there are two alec, or wings, 
which are oblong, obtuse, concave, and twice the length of the vex- 
illum ; a carina, or keel, which is scythe-shaped, of the length of the 
Vol. iii. — 63. 
