361 
CAJANUS BICOLOR. 
nil single flowers, of which they have no du- 
plicate, unless they will do for the middle 
rows; then to recollect that there are particular 
flowers of which they cannot grow too many, 
while there are others they might turn out 
altogether. Let them look to the doubling of 
the sorts, which are uncertain in every way, 
and follow the arrangement we have pointed 
out ; for it is high time, now that having pro- 
cured all that is good, they set about placing 
them in the best positions. "We have not yet 
done with this subject." 
CAJANUS BICOLOR. 
(De Candolle,) 
THE PIGEON PEA. 
The seeds of this plant are used extensively 
as food by man, being cultivated for that pur- 
pose both in the East and West Indies. In 
the East Indies it is called the " Pigeon Pea," 
because its seeds are the favourite food of 
wild pigeons. It is also called " Doll." In 
the opinion of some botanists, only one species 
exists, of which there are two varieties, the 
one with flowers entirely yellow, and two or 
three seeds in each pod, which is never spotted; 
the other with flowers streaked externally 
with crimson, and having four or five seeds 
in a pod, which is marbled with dark streaks. 
Others regard them as distinct species. The 
first is called the No-eye pea, in the West 
Indies, and the latter the Congo pea. Seeds 
of this latter were collected in the neighbour- 
hood of the town of Jellalabad; and were pre- 
sented to the Horticultural Society of London 
by Sir II. Fletcher : in that establishment 
it is found to be a half-hardy annual, or 
biennial, growing about eighteen inches high, 
if planted in any good garden soil, and flower- 
ing freely from June to August. It is an 
upright-growing plant, with trifoliate leaves, 
the leaflets of which are oval-lanceolate ; the 
flowers are yellow, pea-shaped, with red 
streaks on the outside, and are produced in 
short, axillary racemes. The yellow-flowered 
species, or variety, as it is regarded by some, 
is called C. flavus, by De Candolle (Cytisus 
Cnjan, of Linnasus). The other kind is the 
C. bicolor of De Candolle (Cytisus pseudo- 
Cajan of Jacquin). They are usually con- 
sidered as stove-plants in this country, but 
(like many others) they have been found to 
grow out of doors, in the summer season, in 
the Horticultural Society's garden. It is 
interesting as affording food to man in coun- 
tries where the luxuries of more temperate 
climates are hardly to be obtained. In our 
own country, however, it is not likely to rival 
the excellent varieties we possess of the culti- 
vated pea. 
The following remarks upon these species 
are extracted from Dr. Macfadyen's " Flora 
of Jamaica :" — " The general appearance of 
both is very much alike, and they can scarcely, 
previously to flowering, be distinguished from 
one another, except that the leaves of C. 
flavus are rather smaller and finer to the 
touch. Of these two species the No-eye pea 
is the most delicate, being in the green state 
very little inferior to the English pea ; and 
when dried and the cuticle removed equal to 
the split peas we receive from Europe. The 
other species is coarser, and made use of prin- 
cipally by the negroes, and requires in the 
dried state a tedious boiling process before 
the seeds can be softened. From the two 
species being frequently through carelessness 
planted close to one another, we may occa- 
sionally meet with hybrid varieties. When 
once established, they stand for several years. 
The leaves are annually shed, and are re-pro- 
duced with the flowers in the early months of 
summer ; the crop is gathered during the 
months of autumn. No particular care or 
trouble is required in the cultivation of these 
shrubs, and they thrive in the poorest land. 
They are said, indeed, to improve the soil on 
which they grow, by the decay of the leaves, 
which are annually shed in great profusion. 
There are few tropical plants, indeed, so 
valuable. They are to be found round every 
cottage in the island, growing luxuriantly in 
the parched Savannah, and mountain declivity, 
as well as in the more fertile and seasonable 
districts." 
