of Trel. p. 66. ; FI. Ilibern. pt.i. p. 82 .—Pisum marinum, Ray’s Syu. p 31ft.— 
Johnson’s Gerarde, p. 1250. 
Localities. — On the stony sea shore. — Cornwall ; Beach near Penzance : 
Heath. — Dorsetshire; On the sand and naked pebbles of Chesil Bank, run- 
ning from Portland to Abbotsbury; on the North shore, and eastward of it at 
Poole, and elsewhere: Or. Polteney. — Hampshire ; Sandown Beach; Isle 
of Wight : Dr. Pui.tenky. Near Cowes, Isle of Wight : Mr. M aiir yat, Ch. ( It. 
— Kent; On the West side of Dungeness, near Lydd : Ray. Abundant on 
the beach near Walmer Castle: L. W. Dillwyn, Ksq. — Lincolnshire; At 
Ingolm Mills: Parkinson. — Suffolk ; On a stony beach between Aldborough 
and Orford : Ray. — Sussex; At Rye and Pevensey : Camden. At Guildford, 
opposite the Comber: Parkinson. By William the Conqueror’s Table near 
Hastings: Mr. .1. Woods, jun.— IRELAND. Sand Hill, Bay of Castle-main, 
County of Kerry : Mr. Mackay. 
Perennial. — Flowers in July and August. 
Root creeping, much branched, running very deep among the 
loose stones. Stems about nine inches or a foot long, procumbent, 
simple, quadrangular, a little compressed, smooth, zigzag, leafy, 
many-flowered, glaucous, often reddish. Leaves numerous, alter- 
nate, abruptly pinnate, common stalk flattish, ending in a branched 
tendril; leaflets oval, alternate, sessile, smooth, entire, veiny, of a 
dark rather glaucous green ; on the lower leaves 5 to 7, on the upper 
9 to 11, always one more on the outer side of the leafstalk than 
on the inner, generally cloven, sometimes simple. Stipulas in 
pairs, equal, triangular, half-arrow-shaped, reflexed, toothed towards 
the base, rather smaller than the leaflets. Clusters from the axils 
of the leaves, solitary, stalked, many-flowered ; stalks (peduncles) 
about as long as the leaves. Flowers large, purple, variegated with 
crimson veins ; the prominences in front of the standard white ; 
wings and heel pale blue. Legumes oblong, about half the size of 
the cultivated Pea, obliquelv-reticulated, and tipped with the per- 
manent inflexed style. Seeds 6 or 8, very bitter. 
Sir W. J. Hooker remarks, that this plant has more the habit 
of a Lathyrus than of a Pisum, though the style most resembles 
the latter. 
The Sea Pea is a native of the sea shore, among stones or in 
sand, in other parts of Europe as well as in England ; as France, 
Sweden, Lapland, and Denmark. It is said to be also a native of 
Canada and Japan. 
This Pea was taken little notice of before the year 1555 ; at 
which tims there being nearly a famine, the poor people on the 
coast of Suffolk about Orford and Aldborough supported them- 
selves with it for some time. It was supposed to spring up op- 
portunely in that year of dearth, from a shipwrecked vessel loaded 
with Peas ; but this species differs from all the varieties of the 
garden or field Pea, in the length and continuance of its roots, the 
smallness and bitterness of its seed, and in the whole habit and 
appearance of the plant. It had probably grown a long time on 
Orford beach unobserved, till extreme want called it into public 
notice. The legend of the miraculous arrival of these Peas in a time 
of extreme scarcity, is still believed among the country people. 
Cattle are very fond of the herb. 
