BISER'RULA PELE'CINUS. 
HATCHET VETCH. 
Class. Order. 
niADELPHIA. DECANDRIA. 
Natural Order. 
LEGDMINOS®. 
Native of 
Height 
Flowers in 
Duration. 
Introduced 
S, Europe. 
18 inches. 
July & Aug-. 
Annual. 
in 1640. 
No. 740. 
The generic name, Biserrula, is compounded 
from the two Greek words, bis, twice; and ser- 
RULA, a little saw, in allusion to the toothing, or 
saw-like appearance, which occurs along each side 
of the -very singular legume, or seed pod, of this 
plant. Pelecinus, being an old generic name for the 
plant, has been retained as its specific title in mod-, 
ern nomenclature, a practice frequently adhered to, 
which was formerly indicated by a capital initial 
letter being used in words so retained, to the ex- 
clusion of the capital from specific names in other 
instances. This practice, however, interfered so 
materially with the established use of the capital 
initial at the beginning of those words derived from 
proper names, that we never adopted the practice, 
and now it has fallen pretty generally into disuse. 
Biserrula pelecinus is an annual of the easiest 
culture, requiring only to be sown in the borders 
where it is intended that it shall remain. Its flowers 
are small, but in addition to the curious formation 
of its seed pods, its foliage is ornamental, and well 
suited to form a back-ground for small plants in 
the borders. 
Don’s Syst. Bot. 2, 273. 
