﻿( 117 .) 



LA'THYRUS* *. 



Linnean Class and Order. DiADE'LPHiAf, Deca'ndria. 



Natural Order. Legumino'sa:, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 345. — Sm. 

 Gram, of Bot. p. 174. — Lindl. Spi. p. 75; Introd. to Nat. Syst. p. 

 87. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 532. — Sm. Engl. FI. v. iii. p. 259. — 

 Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 509. — Papiliona'cejEIJ: of Linnaeus. — Ro- 

 sales, subtype Vicid^e, Burn. Outl. of Bot. pp.614 &661. 



Gen. Char. Calyx (fig. 1.) inferior, cup-shaped, unequal, of 

 1 sepal, with 5 spear-shaped segments, the 2 upper ones shortest, 

 the lower one longest. Corolla butterHy-shaped, of 5 petals ; 

 Standard (fig. 4.) largest, inversely heart-shaped, reflexed at the 

 sides ; Wings (fig. 5.) oblong, blunt, somewhat curved upwards, 

 approaching each other ; Keel (fig. 6.) rounded, of 2 united petals, 

 with separate claws. Filaments (fig. 2.) 10, 9 united into a com- 

 pressed tube, open at the upper edge ; the tenth hair-like, separate. 

 Anthers small, roundish. Gcrmen (fig. 3.) oblong, compressed. 

 Style (see fig. 3.) ascending, flattened vertically, dilated upwards, 

 acute at the end. Stigma (fig. 7.) extending from the middle of 

 the style to the end, downy along the fore part. Legume or pod 

 long, either cylindrical or compressed, pointed, of 1 cell, and 2 

 valves. Seeds several, roundish, or angular. 



Distinguished from other genera, in the same class and order, 

 by the style being flat, dilated at the end, and downy or pubescent 

 in front. 



Seven species British. 



LA/THYRUS LATIFO'LIUS, Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea. 



Spec. Char. Peduncles many-flowered. Tendrils branched, 

 each bearing two elliptical mucronated leaflets. Stem winged. 



Fig. 1. Calyx. — Fig. 2. Stamens, Style, and Stigma. — Fig. 3. Germen, Style, 

 and Stigma. — Fig. 4. The Vexillum or Standard. — Fig. 5. One of the Alae or 

 Wings. — Fig. 6. The Carina or Keel. — Fig. 7. The flat, downy Stigma, a little 

 magnified. — Fig. 8. A Legume of Ldthyrus sylvestris. 



* From Lathurus (Gr.) of Theophrastus, which is said to be from la (Gr.), 

 augmentative, and thouros (Gr.), any thing exciting ; in reference to the quali- 

 ties of the seeds. Mr. Don. 



f See Spdrtium scopdrium. fol. 77, note f. 



{ From papilio, a. butterfly. The flowers in this order are irregular and 

 spreading, and bear some resemblance to a butterfly expanding its wings for 

 flight. Miss Kent, in her elegant and pleasing work, “ Flora Domestica,” 

 speaking of a white variety of the Sweet Pea, Ldthyrus odoratus, says, the 

 flowers “ are justly termed Papilionaceous, for they do indeed look like butter- 

 flies turned to flowers, and we almost expect to see them start from their stalks 

 as we look at them ; they seem,” indeed, “only lingering to sip theirown honey.” 

 The various petals which compose this kind of flower are 5 in number, and 

 are distinguished by appropriate names. The uppermost (fig. 4.) which is up- 

 right, and more expanded than the rest, is named the vexillum or standard ; 

 the two side ones (fig. 5.), which are at right angles with the vexillum, and pa- 

 rallel with each other, are called alee or wings ; and the two lower ones (fig. 6.), 

 which are shaped like the alas, and parallel with them, (and which often cohere 

 by the lower margins so as to become, as it were, but one petal,) form the Ca- 

 rina or keel , which encloses the internal organs. — In the genus Trifolium all 

 the petals are sometimes united into one at the lower part. 



