L A T 
and terminated by five, fix, or more, naked peduncles, 
three inches long, each bearing one flower of a blue co¬ 
lour, near two inches in length. The Item bears the co¬ 
rymb underground, fo that folitary fructifications only 
appear above ground on each branch. Ray and others 
have this plant twice over. Native of France, the Py¬ 
renees, and Italy ; Ray obferved it in moift fhady places 
between Mafia and Lucca. 
2. Lathrsea phelyptea, or doubtful toothwort: corollas 
fore'ading-bell-(haped. This is a tender juicy plant, a 
palm and a half high. Stem furrounded by abundance of 
foft fucculent leaves, broad at the bafe, and ending in a 
fliarp point. From the top come out three or four tubu¬ 
lar funnel-fhaped flowers, an inch or an inch and a half in 
length, of a yellow colour, divided at top into five feg- 
ments. The ftrufture of the flower in this plant is very 
different front that of Lathnea. Thunberg has conlfi- 
tuted a new genus under the name of Phelypaa, which 
Mr. Correa fufpefts to be a fpecies of Cytinus. 
3. Lathrtea anblatum, or eallern toothwort; lips of 
the corollas undivided. Found by Tournefort in the 
Levant. 
4. Lathnea fquamaria, or great toothwort: ftem quite 
Ample ; corollas pendulous, lower lip trifid. Root beaded, 
branched, and furrounded with white fucculent fcales ; it is 
parafitical, and generally attached to the roots of elms, 
hafels, or fome other trees, in a fhady fituation. Stem 
naked, except fometimes one or two oval fcales. Flowers 
in a foike, from one fide of the ftem, in a double row ; 
braftes roundifh-oval, large, reddifh, one at the bafe of 
each peduncle, forming a double line oppofite to the 
flowers; calyx hairy, whitifh, bellying; fegments equal, 
bluntifh ; corolla pale purple or fifth-coloured, except the 
lower lip, which is white: the upper lip is rather fliort 
and truncate. Native of molt parts of Europe; with us 
it is rather rare; but may be met with at Maidftone in 
Kent; Harefield in Middlefex ; Exton near Stamford; the 
woods of Derby (hi re; at Conzick-fcar near Kendal, Weft- 
moreland; near Gainsford, Durham ; in Scotland, at 
Mevis-bank towards Lafwade, four or five miles from 
Edinburgh; and in Morvern, near the Sound of Mull. 
The flowers appear in April, emerging from the decayed 
leaves of trees, among which the plant is moltly found 
iialf buried. 
The Englifh name toothwort is derived from the refem- 
blance of the fcaly roots to the human fore-teeth ; and 
hence it was fancied formerly to be good for the tooth- 
ach. This genus is very mifcellaneous, the ftrufture of 
the fructification differing widely in the different fpecies. 
When thefe fliall be more accurately examined, perhaps 
the laft only may remain in the genus. Of that therefore 
we have given a reprefentation, at fig. 1 of the annexed 
'plate. 
LATHY'RIS, p in botany. See Euphorbia. 
LATHYROl'DES. See Orobus and Spartium, 
LATH'YRUS, f Chichling Vetch ; in botany, a ge¬ 
nus of the clafs diadelphia, order decandria, natural order 
of papilionacei, or legumlnofae. The generic cliarafters are 
.—Calyx : perianthium one-leafed, half five-cleft, bell- 
Jhaped : divilions lanceolate, fliarp : the three upper ones 
fhorter: the ioweft longer. Corolla: papilionaceous 5 
ftandard.obcordate, very large, reflex on the Tides and tip; 
•wings oblong, lunulate, fliort, obttife; keel half-orbicu- 
late ; fize of the wings, and wider than the wings, gaping 
inwards in the middle. Stamina : filaments diadelphous, 
(Angle and nine-cieft,) rifing upwards ; antherse roundifli. 
Pittillum : germ cornpreffed, oblong, linear; ftyle erefted 
* upwards, flat, wider above, with a fliarp tip; ftigma, from 
the middle of the ftyle to the tip villofe in front. Peri- 
.carpium : legume very long, cylindric or cornpreffed, acu¬ 
minate, one-celled, bivalve. Seeds feveral, cylindric, glo- 
bofe, or but little cornered .—EJfential Charafter. Calyx : 
two upper fegments fliorter; ftyle flat, villofe above, 
broader at the end. 
Species. L With one-flowered peduncles, 1. Lathyrus 
VOL, XII. No. %i%. 
L A T 265 
aphaca, yellow lathyrus, or vetchling: peduncles one- 
flowered ; tendrils leaflefs; Itipules fagittate-cordate. 
Root annual, fibrous. Stem from a foot to eighteen 
inches or more in height, trailing or climbing, four-cor¬ 
nered, fmooth. Leaves none, except on the young plants, 
which loon after they come up are ufually fiirnifhed with 
one or more pair of leaves limilar to thofe of the other 
fpecies, but totally difappearing as the plants advance. 
Flowers final], folitary, axillary. Native of moft parts 
of Europe, in corn-fields, chiefly in light land : flowering 
in June, July, and Auguft. About Tottenham and En¬ 
field, but not common near London ; between Norwich 
and Bungay ; in Cambridgefhire not uncommon. 
2. Lathyrus nifl'olia, crimfon lathyrus, or grafs-vetch : 
pedunclesone-flowered ; leaves Ample; ftipulesawl-lhaped. 
The young plant, before it flowers, is lo like a grafs, that 
even an experienced botanift might miftake it for fuch ; 
elpeciaily among mowing-grafs, where it ufually occurs; 
it is alfo found on the borders of corn-fields, among 
bulhes and in woods, but not very common, at leait 
with us, though doubtlefs it is frequently overlooked. Its 
Ample g rally leaves diftinguifh this from the other fpecies. 
The elegant flowers of a rich crimfon render it deferving 
of a place in gardens. Mr. Miller informs us, that fome¬ 
times two flowers are found on one peduncle. 
3. Lathyrus fphtericus, or fpherical lathyrus : peduncles 
one-flowered, awned ; tendrils two-leaved, quite Ample ; 
leaflets enfiform. Flowers fmall, like thofe of the pre¬ 
ceding. 
4. Lathyrus amphicarpos, fubterranean lathyrus, or 
earth-pea : peduncles one-flowered, longer than the calyx; 
tendrils two-leaved, quite Ample. Stems feveral, weak, 
ancipital or two-edged. Flowers pale purple. There are 
other Items, dellitute of leaves, roundilh, creeping under 
ground, whitilh, and bearing flowers and fruit absolutely 
perfect, and refembling thofe on the ftems above ground, 
except that the flowers are fmailer, and do not expand. 
Native of the Levant. Cultivated in 1680 in the botanic 
garden at Oxford ; the feeds were lent from Aleppo by 
Robert Huntingdon, fellow' of Merton-college. 
5. Lathyrus cicera, flat-podded lathyrus, or dwarf chich- 
ling-vetch : peduncles one-flowered ; tendrils two-leaved ; 
legumes ovate, cornpreffed, channelled on the back. In 
fize this takes the middle place between the preceding and 
following fpecies. Haller thus diftinguifhes this from 
Jativus. The whole plant is lower, but the leaves are larger, 
broader, and elliptic. Flowers only half the fize, with a 
much l’maller ftandard, of adulky blood-red colour. Seeds 
four. The root is annual ; Items feveral, from a foot to 
two feet in height, fimple, angular, winged, procumbent 
unlefs fupported by other plants. Flower of a middling 
fize ; corolla white or pale yellow, or red and white, very 
feldom blue, fometimes quits red or deep purple. Seed* 
three, four, or five, fmailer than peafe ; tawny, with dot* 
of a deeper colour; angular, difl'orm. Native of France 
and Spain; cultivated here in 1633 ; flowers in June and 
July. ' . 
6. Lathyrus fativus, common lathyrus, or blue chich¬ 
ling vetch; peduncles one-flowered; tendrils two or four 
leaved, legumes ovate, compreiled, two-edged at the back. 
The habit of this is the fame as the laft, but the leaves 
are longer and narrower; flower double the fize, moil; 
commonly white, fometimes tinged with purple, or hav¬ 
ing a rofe-coloured ftandard, or blue, or blue and whits 
variegated. Notwithftanding thefe differences, this and 
the preceding are perhaps no more than varieties. In our 
garden it is dittinguifliable by the blue colour of the co¬ 
rolla ; but we have fometimes the milk-white variety. 
The feed-pods afford a more certain mark of di ft in ft ion, 
being unufually fliort, broad, and winged on the back. 
Native of France and Spain ; commonly fown in Swider- 
land for foiling horfes, but not indigenous of that coun¬ 
try. The French name is gtjfe. It flowers in June and 
July. A leaf of this fpecies is fliown on the Botany 
Plate VII. fig. 6, the corolla on Plate VIII, fig, 13. arid 
