hi .3:j75 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. BDREAD OF PLANT INDUSTRY— BULLETIN NO. 179. B. T. GALLOWAY, Chief of Bureau. &<££» THE FLORIDA VELVET BEAS^lf RELATED PLA] BY C. V. PIPER, Agrostologist in Charge of Forage-Crop Investigations, AND S. M. TRACA', Special Agent, Forage-Crop Investigations. 6 May 19, 1910. U.S. DtPOsiiOfY WASHINGTON: GOVERN' ME NT l'KINTI.VG OFFICE. £910. BULLETINS OF THE BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. The scientific and technical publications of the Bureau of Plant Industry, which was organized July 1, 1901, are issued in a single series of bulletins, a list of which follows. Attention is directed to the fact that the publications in this series are not for general distribution. The Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C, is authorized by law to sell them at cost, and to him all applications for these bulletins should be made, accompanied by a postal money order for the required amount or by cash. Numbers omitted from this list can not be furnished. No. 2. Spermatogenesis and Fecundation of Zamia. 1901. Price, 20 cents. 3. Macaroni Wheats. 1901. Price, 20 cents. 4. Range Improvement in Arizona. 1901. Price, 10 cents. '8. A Collection of Fungi Prepared for Distribution. 1902. Price, 10 cents. 9. The North American Species of Spartina. 1902. Price, 10 cents. 10. Records of Seed Distribution, etc. 1902. Price, 10 cents. 11. Johnson Grass. 1902. Price, 10 cents. 13. Range Improvement in Central Texas. 1902. Price, 10 cents. 14. The Decay of Timber and Methods of Preventing It. 1902. Price, 55 cents. 15. Forage Conditions on Northern Border of Great Basin. 1902. Price, 15 cents. 17. Some Diseases of the Cowpea. 1902. Price, 10 cents. 20. Mannf irl ure of Semolina and Macaroni. 1902. Price, 15 cents. 22. Injurious Effects of Premature Pollination. 1902. Price, 10 cents. 23. Berseem: The Great Forage and Soiling Crop of Nile Valley. 1902. Price, 15 cents. 24. Unfermented Grape Must. 1902. Price, 10 cents. 25. Miscellaneous Papers. 1903. Price, 15 cents. 27. Letters on Agriculture in the West Indies, Spain, and the Orient. 1902. Price, 15 cents. 29. The Effect of Black-Rot on Turnips. 1903. Price, 15 cents. 31. Cultivated Forage Crops of the Northwestern States. 1902. Price, 10 cents. 32. A Diseased the White Ash. 1903. Price, 10 cents. 33. North American Species of Leptochloa. 1903. Price, 15 cents. 35. Recent Foreign Explorations. 1903. Price, 15 cents. 36. The "Bluing "of the Western Yellow Pine, etc 1903. Price, 30 cents. 37. Formation of Spores in Sporangia of Rhizopus Nigricans, etc. 1903. Price, 15 cents. 38. Forage Conditions in Eastern Washington, etc. 1903. Price. 15 cents. 39. The Propagation of the Easter Lily from Seed. 1903. Price, 10 cents. 41. The Commercial Grading of Corn. 1903. Price, 10 cents. 42. Three New Plant Introductions from Japan. 1903. Price, 10 cents. 47. The Description of Wheat Varieties. 1903. Price, 10 cents. 48. The Apple in Cold Storage. 1903. Price, 15 cents. 49. The Culture of the Central American Rubber Tree. 1903. Price, 25 cents. 50. Wild Rice: Its Uses and Propagation. 1903. Price, 10 cents. 51. Miscellaneous Papers. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 54. Persian Gulf Dates. 1903. Price, 10 cents. 59. Pasttne, Meadow, and Forage Crops in Nebraska. 1904. Price, 10 cents. 60. A Soft Rot of the Calla Lily. 1904. Price, 10 cents. 61. The Avocado in Florida. 1904. Price, 5 cents. 62. Notes on Egyptian Agriculture. 1904. Price, 10 cents. 67. Range Investigations in Arizona. 1904. Price, 15 cents. 68. North American Species of Agrostis. 1905. Price, 10 cents. 69: American Varieties of Lettuce. 1904. Price, 15 cents. 70. The Commercial Status of Durum Wheat. 1904. Price, 10 cents. 71. Soil Inoculation for Legumes. 1905. Price, 15 cents. 72. Miscellaneous Papers. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 73. The Development of Single-Germ Beet Seed. 1905. Price. 10 cents. 74. The Prickly Pear and Other Cacti as Food for Stock. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 75. Range Management in the State of Washingt (in. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 76. Copper as an Algieide and Disinfectant in W ater Supplies. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 77. The Avocado: A Salad Fruit from the Tropics. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 79. Variability of Wheat Varieties in Resistance to Toxic Salts. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 80. Agricultural Explorations in Algeria. 1905. Price, 10 cents. 81. Evolution of Cellular Structures. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 82. Grass Lands of the South Alaska Coast. 19115. Price, 10 cents. 83. The Vitality of Buried Seeds. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 84. The Seeds of the Bluegrasses. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 85. Principles of Mushroom Growing and Mushroom Spawn Making. 1905. Price, 10 cents. 86. Agriculture without Irrigation in the Sahara Desert. 1905. Price, 5 cents. 88. Weevil-Resisting Adaptations of the Cotton Plant. 1906. Price, 10 cents, 89. Wild Medicinal Plants of the United States. 1906. Price, 5 cents. 90. Miscellaneous Papers. 1900. Price, 5 cents. 91. Varieties of Tobacco Seed Distributed, etc. 190e to endeavor to get together all of the other species of this genus in the hope of finding varieties that would pro\ e earlier or otherwise more \ aluable than the Florida velvet bean. Tn the three years during which this effort has been made, with the assistance of the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction, twenty sorts distinct at least as to seed characters have been obtained. Not only have these varieties indicated that there are greater possi- bilities in this group of plants than had been supposed, but an exceed- 118 Hull 179 L0 7 FLORIDA VELVET BEAN AND RELATED PLANTS. ingly ink' resting botanical problem has been disclosed, as there are clearly more species than had been recognized by botanists. Until the publication of the paper previously mentioned, the Florida velvet bean had been known in this country under the name of Mucuna utilis. Mrs. Bort showed clearly that it could not be the plant originally described under that name, nor could it be identified with any other described species. On this account she named and described the plant as a new species, Stizolobium deeringia- num. She also emphasized the fact that the Florida velvet bean and allied plants constitute a distinct genus from Mucuna, pointing out that the genus Mucuna consists of perennial plants with woody stems and with a band-like hilum that extends two-thirds of the way around the seed, or more, while the genus Stizolobium 6 consists of plants essentially annual, with an oblong-crateriform hilum to the seed. She further stated that Mucuna in germination is hypogeous, while Stizolobium is epigeous. This last statement is incorrect, as both are hypogeous. There is a pronounced difference, however, in the germination. In Stizolobium the first leaves above the cotyledons are a pair of petioled leaves having solitary cordate leaflets, which immediately are followed by the typical alternate, trifoliate leaves of the plant. In Mucuna, on the contrary, the initial leaves are all alternate, very much reduced, and scale-like. These differences are well shown in Plate I, where the germination of Mucuna Tceyensis is contrasted with that of Stizolobium hassjoo. Of the 20 forms of Stizolobium obtained, 10 have been grown to maturity for one year or more in the field, and several others in the greenhouse. The field work has been conducted principally at Biloxi, Miss., and in cooperation with the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station at Gainesville, Fla. In addition, large quantities of seeds of the Lyon bean (S. P. I. No. 19979) and considerable quantities of the fleshy-pod bean (S. P. I. No. 21094) and of the Mauritius or Bengal bean (S. P. I. No. 21300) have been distributed for field testing. The characters by which the different species of Stizolobium are distinguished are principally in the pods and seeds; otherwise the species are much alike both in habit and foliage. Slight differences occur in the leaves and flowers, which, however, are not conspicuous. It is probably due to the fact that most herbarium material does not contain mature pods that the distinctness of the species has not before a Bulletin 111, pt. :;, Bureau of Plant Industry, 1909. b The genus Stizolobium was first published by Patrick Browne (The < livil and Natural History of Jamaica, 1756, p. 290) and based upon the specie now known as lobium pruriens, the common cowitch. Tin- seed characters by which Stizolo- bium is distinguished from Mucuna have been clearly pointed out by Prain (Jour- nal of tin' Asiatic Society of Bengal, n. s., vol, 66, L897, p. 104.) Bui. 1""' 3. U. S. Dep!. of Ag- Plate I. Seedlings of Mucuna keyensis and Stizolobium hassjoo. edlingof Mucuna keyensis. S. P. I. No. 24427. dling of Stizolobium hassjoo, S. I'. I. No. 25254. '■ lira] »/.■■. i GENERAL CHARACTER OF 11IK GENUS STIZOLOBIUM. 9 been recognized by botanists. There is also a considerable range as respects the life period of the species, some being much earlier than the Florida velvet bean and others much later. The pod differences are displayed in differences of size, of shape, of ridges on the valves, and especially in the character of the pubes- cence. The latter character in the various forms is such that it seems impossible to refer them to a single species, as in do genus of legumes known to us do we find differences of this kind in agricultural varieties known to be such. Furthermore, these plants never seem to bave been cultivated sufficiently to give rise to series of varieties such as are found in most cultivated legumes. A number of the species have been cultivated to a slighl extent by the Hindus. An- other specie lobium velutinum (Hassk.) (Mucuna velutina Bassk.), seems to be more or less extensively cultivated in Java, [n this species Hasskarl mentions six varieties differing in seed characters, bul calls attention to no pod differences. The evidence at hand does not yet justify us in deciding whether all of these are really garden varieties or distinct species, but the latter conclusion besl coincides with the facts thus far ascertained. Still another speci( >l6bium Tiassjoo, is said to be extensively cultivated in Yi7.ii, the north island of Japan. This lasl is by far the earliest form yet obtained and will doubtless mature its seed as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina. From a single season's experience ii seems to possess unusual merit and will probably come into exten- sive cultivation, especially for growing with corn. Detailed notes setting forth the present knowledge of the differ- ent forms i> given in connection with each species. GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE GENUS STIZOLOBIUM. All of the stizolobiums thus far grown are large, annual, much- branched, twining herbs, the stems twining in an opposite direction from the hands of a watch; leaves trifoliate, with large membrana- ceous leaflets shorter than the petiole; leaflets ovate, the lateral ones oblique, all mucronate, and attached by short, fleshy, very pubescent petiolules; stipules small and lanceolate; stipels bristle-like; flowers in pendent, usually long racemes, the flowers mostly in groups of three: mature pods black, pubescent, marked with one or more lon- gitudinal ridges, or these rarely obscure or wanting. From an economic standpoint, the species of Sti/.olobiuin may be divided into two groups, those which have abundant long stinging hairs on the pods and those which have few or no stinging hairs. The former also have stinging hairs on the calyx. In the former category are to be placed Stizolobium pruriens (L I Medic. (Dolichos pruriens L.), the cowhage or cowitch, the type of the genus which i.s 179 10 FLORIDA VELVET BEAN AND RELATED PLANTS. native to the East Indies but which also occurs now in Jamaica and other West Indian Islands, probably as an introduction; StizoloUum pruritum ( Mucuna prurita Hook, in Wight and Arnott, Prodromus Florae India? Peninsula 1 Orientalis, 1834, vol. 1, p. 255); and Stizolo- hiitm Tiirsuturn (W. and A.) Kuntze (Mucuna Mrsuta Wight and Arnott, op. cit., p. 254), both of the latter native to India. Only one of these species with stinging hairs on the pods has matured in our trials, namely, S. P. I. No. 25263, Stizolobium pruriens (?). None of these species with stinging hairs can be utilized as forage crops, but they have been grown with the idea of ascertaining their rela- tionship to the more valuable forms. All of the stizolobiums possess something in the juice, especially in the green pods, which rapidly 1 urns black on exposure to air. This substance blackens the hands and clothing of workmen cutting vel- vet beans for hay, which is occasionally done. It also causes the dried flowers and pods to become black, and does the same to the seeds of white-seeded varieties, especially if gathered too green or where they press upon each other. Botanical descriptions and economic notes concerning nine species are presented in this publication. ANALYTICAL KEY TO THE SPECIES. Pods velvety with black pubescence Seeds marbled, rarely white, thick, subglobose; pods 2.5 to 3 inches long, nearly as thick as broad deerin.gia.num. Seeds black, oblong, somewhat flattened; pods flattened, -1 to l'» inches long, capitatum. Pods pubescent, but the pubescence not black or velvety. Pubescence dense, creel or nearly so, not appressed. Seeds dull black with faint, rusty markings; pubescence of pods lawny, utile. Seeds ash colored; pubescence of pods whitish einereum. Tabescence white, appressed. Flowers while; leaf surface undulate; seeds ash colored niveum. Flowers purple; leaf surface plane. Pod valves with the principal ridge prominent, but secondary ridges rarely more than one. Pubescence on pods rather coarse and long; leaflets 3 to 5 inches long, rather (hick; seeds ash colored hassjoo. Pubescence very fine; leaflets larger and thinner; seeds shining black alt ni in a in Pod valves with a well-developed principal ridge and two <>r more sec- ondary ridges; pubescence soft. Seeds flattened, white with black or gray spots; pods large, very fie by when green, 5 to 7 inches long; valves with 3 to 5 secondary ridges; pubescence very sparse pachylobium. 17*) STIZOLOBIUM DEERINGIANUM. 11 STIZOLOBIUM DEERINGIANUM. Si olobium deeringianwn Bort." Florida velvel bean. (PI. II,/>.) An annual, herbaceous, climbing \ ine, Bometimes 20 meters in length when growing on supports, and even on the ground attaining a length of from -' to 6 meters, bearing long, pendent racemes of purple flowers which produce dark, velvety pods 5 or (i centimeters long. Stems rather slender, terete, sparsely pubescenl with whin-. appressed hairs, especially on the rid - Petioles equaling oi ■ ig the leaflets, pubescent like the stem, and continued for 2 to I centimeters beyond the lateral leaflets; Btipulea subulate, pubescent, aboul 1 centimeter long; stipels similar but smaller; petiolulee about 5 millimeters long, stout, very pubescent. Leaflets rhom- l-ovate, the lateral om oblique, membranaceous, acuminate-cuspidate, 5 to 15 centimeters long, about half as broad, sparsely pubescent above, especiallj on the veins, mere densely pubescent beneath, the while hairs closely appressed. ln- ence a raceme or thyrsus 15 to 30 centimeters long, pendent, bearing 5 to 30 flowers, usually aboul 12; rachis like the Btem, but more pubescent; flowers borne singly or in twos or threes on sh il branchlets. Bracts lanceolate-subulate, very pubescent, early fugacious. Calyx pubescent within and without with short, white, appressed hairs, 2 lipped, the upper lip broadly triangular, the lower lip 3 cleft, ; >e- triangular-subulate, the middle one longest; stinging hairs absent. Corolla dark purple, 3 to 1 centimeters long; standard less than half the length of the keel, darker than the rest of the flower; wings slightly shorter than the keel, rather b) obla keel straight to near the lip, where it curses sharply upward, the tip linn and acute; anthers oi two sorts, alternately long and short, the latter on much broader filaments; ovarj linear, pubescent; style filiform, pubescenl nearly to the tip; stigma small. Pods when mature 5 to i; centimeter.- long, turgid, densely covered with a soft, nearly black, velvety pubescence without stinging hairs; valves with 1 or 2 or sometimes :'> obscure longitudinal ridges. Seeds :; to 5 in each pod, Bubglobose, marbled and speckled with brown or black, and sometimes both, on ash-gray ground color (though pure gray and. it is said, pure Mack occur rarely), 1 to L.5 centimeter- in diameter. Ililum white, oblong-crateriform, less than one-half the length of the seed. Tltt' leaflets of this specie- are abruptly mucronate from a. usually obtuse apex. Thi- i- the well-known species which has been SO long cultivated in Florida, lis importance in late years has grown rapidly, and it i- now much more cultivated than ever before. The principal objection to it i- the long season required for maturing, which has in a large measure militated against it- cultivation farther north. It will. however, make a \er\ large growth of vine- a- far north a- Virginia and Kentucky, but rarely matures it >. seed north of Florida. It i- not- well adapted as a hay plant on accounl of it- extreme vinine>s, and where it doc- not produce pods is of only limited usefulne bike all of the stizolobiums it is absolutely immune to the wilt which affect- -o many other legumes and also to root-knot caused In nematode-. In all of the time this planl ha- been under cult i vat ion in Florida the only variant produced is one having whit." or nearly • Bulletin 111, pt. 3, Bureau oi Plant Industry, 1901), p. 31. 17'.' 12 FLORIDA VELVET BEAN AND RELATED PLANTS. white seeds, apparently being identical in all other respects with the ordinary form having mottled seeds. The original source of this species has never yet been determined, though in all probability it comes from southern Asia or some island of the Malay Archipelago. It has been widely distributed throughout the world by the United States Department of Agriculture. Seed which is undoubtedly the progeny of such distributions has been obtained from Saigon, Cochin China (S. P. I. No. 25261), and also from Poona, India (S. P. I. No. 25715). On account of the wide distribution winch has been made of the seed of this species, it will be rather difficult to ascertain its exact place of nativity, which can probably be determined only by finding the plant growing under conditions where it is undoubtedly wild. STIZOLOBITJM CAPITATUM. Stizolobium capitatum (Roxburgh) Kuntze. (PI. II, A.) Carpopogon capitatum. Roxburgh, Flora Indica, 1832, vol. 3, p. 284. Mucuna capitata Wight and Arnott, Prodromus Florse Peninsulas Indise Orientalis, 1834, p. 255. Roxburgh's original description is as follows: Annual, twining. Heads axillary, subsessile. Legumes armed with soft velvet- like down. Teling. Soorootoo. This I have only found in a cultivated stale, and that during the cold season, in the gardens of the natives. It is an annual. Stem herbaceous, twining, branchy, running to an extent of 10 to 12 feet, if sup- ported; young shoots slightly downy. Leaves termite. Leaflets equal in size, the exterior ones ovate, about 3 inches long and 2 broad, the lateral ones obliquely cordate; all are entire and obtuse, above smooth, a little downy underneath. Stipules of the petioles axillary, short, many flowered. Bracts, flowers, stamens, and pistil as in C. pruriens. Legumes cylindric, depending, a little curved, about as thick as the forefinger or thumb, and about 6 inches long, covered with soft, velvet-like down; when ripe wrinkled longitudinally. Seeds five or six, of the size of a small garden bean, smooth, shining, black. The young pods like those of Dolichos lignosus and lablab are used by the natives in their curries, after rubbing off the down that covers them. Pods 9 to 10 cm. long, about IV cm. wide, strongly falcate, much compressed, mostly four seeded; valves with a strong central ridge extending from near the base to the tip, a secondary ridge usually present extending for the upper third; pubescence identical with thai of Stizolobium deeringianum, dense, soft, nearly black, the Larger hairs lipped with white; seeds oblong, glossy, black, with or without fainl brownish markings, 8 by 15 mm., the white ltiluni 5 mm. long. 179 Bui. 179, Bureau of Plant Industry, U S. D.p: Plate II. Mature Pods and Seeds of Stizolobium capitatum and Stizolobium deerinqianum. -1. Pod and seeds of Stizolobium cnpitatum seeds, black i, S. P. I. No 22464 \ /:. Pod and seeds of Stizolobium deeringtanum, S. P. I. Ni>. 2 i Natural STIZOLOBIUM CAPI1 V.TUM. 1 3 Seed S. 1'- I. No. 25120 A) representing this species was obtained from Maj. A. T. < rage, superintendent of the R03 al Botanical Garden, Calcutta, British India. This seed was mixed with S. P.I. No. 25120, lobium utile, from the same place. At Gainesville, Fla., this same species was mixed with S. P. 1. No. 22464, Stizolobium utile, obtained through Mr. A. C. Hartless, superintendent of the Govern- ment Botanic Garden, Seharanpur, British India, under the name of Hucuna capitata. As the seeds of these two species are much alike, the mixture was in each case probably accidental. This species is the only one having pod pubescence of the type found on the Florida velvet bean, but the pods and seeds are very different. At Biloxi, Miss., and Gainesville, Fla., it matures its pods in about the same length of time as the Florida velvet bean, and probably is of about the same agronomic value. Later botanical writers have made various comments on Rox- burgh's species. Wight and Arnott (Prodromus Floras Peninsulas India' Orientalis, 1834, p. 255) quote the herbarium name of Rox- burgh, Dolichos soorootoo, from an unpublished drawing in the herbarium at Calcutta and also identify the plant questionably with Rumphius's Cacara nigra, Plate L38, published in the Herbarium Amboinense. The flowers as indicated on Rumphius's plate are vet\ different from those of any Stizolobium, while the pods resemble closely those of Pachyrhizus angulatus. The drawing of the seed, however, indicate- a typical Stizolobium. We are unable satis- factorily to identify this plate. Wight and Arnott also state that they have examined specimens collected by Klein, obtained from the Missionaries' Garden. Baker, in Hooker (Flora of British India, vol. _', p. 187), also refers Mucuna velutina flassk. to this species, a reference which we consider erroneous. A similar reference is also made by Miquel (Flora van Nederlandsch Indie, vol. 1, p. 212). Miquel also refers with doubt to this species the plant described by Rumphius in Herbarium Amboinense as Cacara nigra. In this he apparently follows Wighl and Arnott There could seem to be little doubt regarding the identity of this species as based on Roxburgh's ample description and From the further fact that this plant has been received from Calcutta, the type locality. It does not seem likely that Roxburgh's original plant is Stizolobium utile, as the pubescence on the pods of that could scarcely be called velvety. The species is perfectly distinct in its pod char- acters, in which respeel it can onlj be associated with the Florida velvet bean, which has pods of very different shape and seeds of different shape and color. 179 14 FLORIDA VELVET BEAN AND RELATED PLANTS. STIZOLOBIXJM UTILE. Stizolobiurn utile (Wall.) n. comb. (PL III, B). Mucuna utilis Wall. (Wight, Icones Plantorum India? Orientalis, 1840, vol. 2, p. 280). Wight publishes an excellent plate of this plant, which has been reproduced in Bulletin No. 141 of the Bureau of Plant Industry, page 28. The only description given by Wight is as follows: Mucuna utilis (Wall. MSS.). The principal difference of this species, if indeed a species, and M. prurila consists in the hairs of its legumes being appressed and almost silky, not erect, rigid, and stinging. In all other respects they sufficiently agree. The flowers in both are purple. The greater size of this is probably attributable to cultivation, in which state only it is known. Voigt (Hortus Suburbanus Calcuttensis, 1S45, p. 235) identifies the plant with "the variety extensively cultivated in the Mauritius and Van Diemen's Land as a table vegetable and also as a fodder for cattle." This plant is the variety with black, shiny seeds com- monly known as Mauritius bean. Voigt also gives the name "Pois noir de Bourbon." Cordemoy (Flore de File de la Reunion, 1895, p. 393) accepts this identification. This author states that the plant on the island of Reunion is known under the name of "Pois mascate." He also gives a detailed description of the plant, which he states was imported into Reunion to serve for breeding purposes, but is now naturalized. We should be inclined to accept this identi- fication if it were not for two facts. First, Wallich's figure indicates more pubescence on the pod than occurs in the Mauritius bean and the pubescence is not closely appressed; secondly, we have obtained from Maj. A. T. Gage, superintendent of the Botanic Garden at Calcutta, seeds of two species of Stizolobiurn now being grown in the garden at Calcutta. One of these is Stizolobiurn capitatum, already described; the other is the species which we feel confident is the same plant that Wallich has figured. It is very different from the Mauritius bean in that the pod is densely covered with tawny pubescence which is not appressed. The following is a detailed description: Stems stout, growing 30 to 50 feet long, striate and furrowed, pubescent with fine retrorse hairs; leaflets plane, ovate, 5 to 8 inches long, mostly obtuse, mucronate, puberulent on both sides with fine appressed hairs; racemes 9 to 15 inches long; calyx saccate, pubescent without and within, with tine white appressed hairs, the upper lobe triangular, blunt or notched, the lower lobe onedialf longer than (he lateral lobes; corolla dark purple, I J inches long, the wings broad; ovary densely pubescent with white and purple hairs; pods flattened, '■'>] to 41 inches long, densely pubescent with short, erect or ascending tawny hairs with a few purple ones interspersed; lateral ridge strong, more or less broken, extending nearly the length of the valves; Beeds oblong, rather thick, 12 to 14 mm. long, dull black, faintly marked with brown flecks, the veins invisible. 17!> , U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Plate I! Mature Pods and Seeds of Stizolobium cinereum and Stizolobium utile. i. Pod and seeds of Stizolobium einereum, S. P. I. So. ; /.'. Pod mid seeds of Stizolobium i Is dull black), S. P. I. No. 22464. STIZOLOBIUM X 1 \ 1 I 15 This i S. P. 1. No. 25120, obtained from Maj. A. T. Gage, super- intendent of the Botanic Garden at Calcutta, British India. Identical wit 1 1 it is S. P. I. No. 22464, from Mr. AC. Hartlcss, superintendent of the Governmenl Botanic Garden, Seharanpur, British India. This species has been grown for two seasons at Biloxi, Mi^s., and Gainesville, Fla. It matures with the Florida velvet bean and is about as productive. The pubescence on the pods, however, is rather harsh, rubs off easily, and is irritating to the skin. On this account it will doubtless not be found desirable for cultivation. STIZOLOBIUM CINEREUM. Stizolobium cinereum n. sp. Ashy-pod bean. (PI. Ill, .1.) Stems stout, growii i0 feet long, furrowed, covered with a line, harsh pubes- the hairs not retrorse; leaflets plane, broadly ovate, mostly obtuse, mucronate, ng, pubescenl on both sides with appressed white hairs, especially ith; raceme- 'i to L5 inches lmin/,, (Roxburgh) Kuntze. Lyon bean. (PI. IV, .1.) Carpopogon niveum Roxburgh (Flora [ndica, 1832, vol. :;. p. 285). Mucuna nivea Wight and Arnott (Prodromus Floras India* Peninsulas Orient alis, L834, p. 255 . Mucuna lyoni Merrill (Philippine Journal of Science, Supplement I, 1906, p. 197 Roxhnr e> r 1 { e jfg£ *^V 1 % B Mature Pods and Seeds of Stizolobium niveum and Stizolobium aterrimum. .i. Pod and seeds of Stizolobium niveum, S. P. I. ' /;. Pod and seeds of Stizolobium aterrimum i seeds, shining black l, S. P. I. N SI 'l/i '.KM BASSJOO. 17 Watt also states thai the vernacular names in use in Bengal are "Khamach" and "Alkushi." Firminger (Manual of Gardening for I lulia, p. 133) says: "To me the beans seem to partake rather of the agreeable flavor of the Lima bean, and afford a very nice dish during tin' latter fin I of tin' rain season." Baker in I looker (Mora of British 1 1 1 < I i ; i . vol. -. p. 188) quotes \Iucuna nigra Ham. (in Wall. Cat. 5617) as a synonym, but neither description nor citation accompanies i he publication of t hal name. The Lyon bean has now keen cultivated in Florida and other Southern States for three years. It requires about the same length of time to mature as the Florida velvet bean, or is perhaps slightly earlier. It is, however, much more prolific in seed production and is therefore likely to come into prominent use. Besides its greater productivity it has the advantage over the Florida velvet bean of being wholly devoid of stinging hairs. The leaf surface, unlike any other species known to us, is decidedly undulate', so that the plant can readily be recognized even before it blooms. The vine i^ fully as ornamental as the Florida velvet bean and should become a popular arbor plant , especially if t he seeds are as edible as indicated l>\ Roxburgh and ol hers. Prof. P. II. Rolfs, of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, and live other persons tested the edibility of the seeds prepared as baked beans. While they were found to be very palatable, they caused both purging and vomiting. Three of the persons who ate about half as much of the dish as they would of ordinary baked beans were thus affected. The other three who ate of them very sparingly suffered no ill effects. The pods and seeds of this species are well represented in Plate 1\ . .1. The flower clusters are longer than In any other species. STIZOLOBITJM HASSJOO. SHzolobium hassjoo n. sp. Yokohama bean. (PI. V, B.) Vines slender, 6 to 20 feel long, sparsely pubescenl with retrorsewhite hairs: leaflets ovate, acutish, abruptly mucronate, rather thick ami firm in texture, plain', t to 5 inches long, Bparsely pubescent on each face with while appressed hairs; racemes t mg; flowers dark purple; calyx saccate, the lower Lol ae-half Longer than the lateral ones, pubescent without and within; corolla \\ inch i to ll inches long, 5 to 6 seeded, covered with rather long while appressed pub median ridge prominent, the secondaries faint or wanting; ash colored, often blackish at the ends, oblong, flattened, L5 to is nun. long, the vein- of the testa very obscure. This is S. p. I. No. 25254, obtained from the Yokohama Nurserj Company, Yokohama, Japan, who state thai this plant is widely wn in Hokkaido or Y/ezo, the north island of Japan. In the "Useful Plants of Japan," is'.*."), page 9, where it is erroneously iden- 17'.' 18 FLORIDA VELVET BEAN A.ND RELATED PLANTS. tified with Mucuna capitata Wight and Arnott, the following infor- mation is given : Jap. Osharaku-mame, Hassho-mame; an annual leguminous climber cultivated in • imon dry land. The young soft grains are eaten boiled and have a taste of Viria faba L., but this bean contains a poisonous ingredient in a slight quantity; so it is advisable to cat moderately. Stizolobium hassjoo is by far the earliest species known to us. Planted at Biloxi, Miss., April 19, 1009, it was perfectly mature and dry on September 20; at Gainesville, Fla., it was fully mature by Sep- tember 27, having been planted on May 1 ; at Monetta, S. C, it was planted June 15 and the pods were mature enough to ripen when the vines were killed by frost on October 25; at the Arlington Experi- mental Farm, near Washington, D. C, it was in full bloom on October 12, having been planted on June 21. The individual plant will cover a plat 3 to 4 feet square, which will indicate the proper distance to plant. This species was also grown at Manhattan. Ivans., in 1890 under the name Mucuna capitata, by Prof. C. C. Georgeson. From seed planted May 19 the plant began to bloom August 7 and matured a few pods before frost." This plant is mentioned by Siebold (Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap, 1830, vol. 12, p. 55) under the name Dolichos lias* joo, and the Japanese name " Hassjoomame" is cited, but no description given. We have thought it best, however, to use the same specific name. STIZOLOBIUM ATERRIMITM. Stizolobium aterrimum n. sp. Mauritius or Bengal bean. (PI. IV, II, and PL VII.) Vine very strong and vigorous, the stem striate hut scarcely furrowed, covered with a soft, sparse pubescence; leaflets very large, plane, mostly acute, strongly mucronate, pat ely appressed-pubescent on each side; racemes pendent, 18 to HO inches long, many flowered; flowers purple; calyx not saccate, densely appressed-pubescenl with- out and within; pods falcate, about 4 inches lon to 7 inches long, mostly acute, cuspidate, sparsely appressed-puberulenl on both Bidi 11) i □ the eins beneath; racemes 1 i<> 2 feel long, the peduncle often bearing a small leaf; flowers dark purple, II inches long; calyx appressed- puberulenl without and within, die lower lube little exceeding the laterals; pods large, ■"> to 7 inches long, very fleshy when green, sparsely puberulent with weak while hairs, black and Blightly falcate when mature, somewhat compressed, the val mostly having two complete longitudinal ridges and several secondary ones; -■ much flattened, is to 22 mm. long, while with scattered black or gray spots. The original seed of tins, S. P. 1. No. 21094, was presented to the Department by Mr. J. ('. Vaughan, of Chicago. It was sent to him by Mr. A. I.. Kcnnan, from Talgarh, Midnapiir, India, who writes: "The spotted bean is very productive, hut is cultivated to a very limited extent by the Santals, one of the aborigi- nal tribes of India. They cook the green pods and also the ripened Is, hut do n,,! like ell her \ ei -\ well. " L79 20 FLORIDA VELVET BEAN AND RELATED PLANTS. This has larger seeds than any other species, and the pods also are the largest and least pubescent. It requires, unfortunately, a longer season than the Florida velvet bean by at least a month. Some of the clusters of pods of this bean measure 3 feet in length and bear over 50 pods. The edibility of the pods and seeds has been tested by Mr. S. H. Gaitskill, of Mcintosh, Fla., who writes: We have been giving the fleshy-pod velvet bean a trial. I could not get the negroes to try it until I had eaten it and had Mr. Dedman try it ; then the negroes tried it. I do not consider it a fine-flavored bean, but has no bad taste; in fact, is quite palatable, and there were no bad effects al all. I would call it an edible bean. We found the bean better than the pod, and it might be that it would be more palatable to let them get fairly ripe and use them as shelled beans. An important characteristic in which this species differs from the others is that the pods do not dehisce at maturity, but the. pods can be broken in pieces without the valves separating. This character will very likely be valuable in crossing with the Lyon bean and others which dehisce rather too easily and thus shatter seed. STIZOLOBIUM VELUTINUM. Stizolobium velutinum (Hassk.) n. comb. Mucuna velutina Hassk. (Beiblatter, p. 77, to Flora, 25th year, 1842, vol. 2.) The original description is as follows: Mucuna velutina. Nom. sund. Kwas boddas. Legumina lamellis transversis fere distituta: — Racemis abreviatis 6—4, 5 poll. long. 0, 5 pll. crassis densissime velutinis subtereti-oblongis apice curvatis 6-loculatis, seminibus compressis; — foliolis (lateralibus oblique-) ovatis mucronulatis utrinque pilis adpressis minutissimus sparsis (in junioribus & calyce sericeis); corolla alba. Caulis volubilis, petioli pedales, stipellae subulatae, — Spec, intermedia M. mitem inter & mollem DC. Prdr. II. 405. Hasskarl later published a modified description (Catalogue Plant a- rum in Horto Botanico Bogoriensi, 1844, p. 277), as follows: Mucuna velutina. Kwas. Floribua racemosis, bracteis Bubnullis, leguminibus densissime \< lutinis subtereti- oblongis, apice curvatis vix (i- (sub 1-) loculatis, foliolis ovatis mucronulatis utrinque pilis minutissimis adpressis sparsis. — Variat seminbus nunc maculatis majoribus minoribusve (Kw. boeriek gedeh & leutiek) nunc immaculatis albis rugosis s. laevibus ( kw. boddas mengrcet . 16 Mn K S., work on species of Stizolobium 7,8 Bovell, John R., statement on use >l Mauritius bean for green manure 19 Brazil, cultivation of Mauritius bean Browne, Patrick, note on classification of Stizolobium pruriens 8 Buitenzorg Botanical Garden, seeds ol Stizolobium 20,2] Burck, classification of Stizolobium velutina 21 Burma, cultivation of Stizolobium niveum and use as food l(i i nigra, similarity to Stizolobium 13 Calcutta, Botanii Garden, cull >lobium 13,14,15 Carpopogon capitatum. See Stizolobium capitatum. niveum. See Si 1 bium niveum. Ceylon, seed of Stizolobium niveum, introduction into Unit 16 China, Stizolobium seed, introduction into I " ni t <-< 1 States l_> Cordemoy, i lassification of Stizolobium utile 14 Com I Stizolobium pruriens. itch. See Stizolobium pruriens Dolichos pruriens. . s '<, Stizolobium pruriens. orootoo, synonym of Stizolobium capitatum 13 1 (rieberg, < , seed of Stizolobium niveum 16 Firminger, statement as to edibility of Stizolobium niveum 17 Fleshy-pod bean Se< Stizolobium pachylobium Florida. Gainesville, experimenl Btation, work on species of Stizolobium s . 13, 15, 16, 17. 18,21 velwt Loan, analytical description 11 characteristics 7 classification 8 length of season 7, 11 : distribution throughout world 12 i. feeding 7 cription 9,14, L6, 17. 21 Food, use of Stizolobium beans 12, l">. 16, 17. 18, 19,20 io, precaution Is Maj. A. T . seed ol Stizolobium 13, L4, 15 Gaitakill, S. II . stab i o edibility of Stizolobium pachylobium 20 Germination, seed, Mucuna and Stizolobium, differences s 179 23 24 FLORIDA VELVET BEAN AND RELATED PLANTS. Page. Hairs, stinging, characteristic of certain species of Stizolobium 9-10, 15 Hart, Dr. J. W., sender of seed of Stizolobium 7 Hartless, A. C, sender of seed of Stizolobium 13, 15 Hassjoomame, Japanese name for Stizolobium hassjoo 18 Hasskarl, description of Stizolobium velutinum 9, 20 Hawaii, cultivation of Mauritius bean 19 Horse-eye bean. See Stizolobium aterrimum. India, cultivation of species of Stizolobium 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 native species of Stizolobium ". 9-10 Stizolobium seed, introduction into United States 12, 16, 19 use of Stizolobium beans for food 9, 15, 16, 17 Japan, cultivation of Stizolobium hassjoo 9, 17 names of Stizolobium hassjoo 18 Kansas, growing of Stizolobium hassjoo as Mucuna capitata 18 Kennan, A. L., comment on seed of Stizolobium pachylobium 19 Khamach, name of Stizolobium niveum in Bengal 17 Kwas boddas, type of Stizolobium velutinum 21 varieties, description by Hasskarl, vernacular names of Stizolobium 21 Leaflets, Stizolobium, description 8, 9, 11 Leaves, Mucuna, description 8 Stizolobium, description 8, 9, 17 Lyon bean, seed, distribution for field testing 8 See also Stizolobium niveum. W. S., sender of seed of Mucuna lyonii 7 Manila, source of introduction of Mucuna lyonii seed 7, 16 Mauritius bean, seed, description 14, 21 distribution for field testing 8 similarity to Stizolobium utile 14 See also Bengal bean and Stizolobium aterrimum. cultivation of Mauritius bean and use for food 14 comparison with Florida velvet bean . 19 Miquel, classification of Stizolobium capitatum 13 Mississippi, Biloxi, field work on species of Stizolobium 8, 13, 15, 16, 18, 21 Mucuna capitata. See Stizolobium capitatum. genus, characteristics 8 hirsuta. See Stizolobium hirsutum. keyensis, seed, germination 8 lyonii, seed received from Mr. W. S. Lyon, 1907 7 See also Stizolobium niveum. nivea. See Stizolobium niveum. prurita. See Stizolobium pruritum. seed, germination different from Stizolobium 8 utilis, original name of Florida velvet bean 8 See also Stizolobium utile. velutina, cultivation in Java 9 See also Stizolobium velutina. Pachyrhizus angulatus, similarity to Stizolobium capitatum 13 Philippines, original specimens of Mucuna lyonii seed 7, 16 Pods, species of Stizolobium, description 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 20 Stizolobium pachylobium, nondehiscing 20 Reunion Island, growth of Mauritius bean and use for food 14 Rolfs, Prof. P. II., test as to edibility of the Lyon beau 17 179 INDEX. 25 Page. Root-knot, i mmuni ty of speciee of Stizolobium II Roxburgh, description ol Stizolobium capitatum L2 oiveum 15-16 Sabual, Philippine name for Lyon bean 16 Seed, characti re ol Mucuna and Stizolobium, differences 8 Florida velvel bean, distribution throughout world 12 germination, Mucuna compared with Stizolobium 8 Mauritius bean, description 14, 21 Stizolobium capitatum, introduction from British India 13 description 12,14, 16, 19,20,21 distribution [or field testing 8 Seharanpur Botanic G of Stizolobium 13,15 Siebold, statement about Stizolobium hassjoo 18 Soorootc.i, description by Roxburgh 12 South Carolina, Monetta, cultivation of Stizolobium hassjoo 18 Stipels, Stizolobium, description 9 Stipules, Stizolobium, description 9 Stizolobium, anal] tical kej to species 10 aterrimum, analytical description and comments is 19 capitatum, analytical description and comments I- l"> synonyms 13 cinereum, analytical description and comments L5 pubes< ence on pods objectionable 15 deeringianum, analytical description and characteristics of growth. 11 aame given to Florida velvet bean 8 See also Florida velvet bean. genus, characteristics 8 general character 9-10 hassjoo, analytical description and comments 17-18 cultivation in Japan 9 earliness and other merits 18 seed, germination 8 shorl Beason and early maturity 18 hirsutum, stinging hairs characteristic 10 juice, characti lor 10 oiveum, analytical description and comments 15-17 food use 15, lti, 17 superioritj over Florida velvet bean 17 bylobium, analj tical description and comments 19-20 oondehiscing characteristic, value in cross- breeding 20 ed, distribution for field testing 8 use for food, India 19 pruriens, classification 8 in and characteristics 9 stinging hairs characteristic 9 typo of the genus 9 pruritum, stinging hairs characteristic 10 rs 8 distribution for field testing 8 germination different from Mucuna 8 179 26 FLORIDA VELVET BEAN AND RELATED PLANTS. Page. Stizolobium, species, classification, difficulties 8-9 immunity to wilt and root-knot 11 pod differences 9 stock feed, use 7, 15 utile, analytical description and comments 14-15 pubescence on pods objectionable 15 velutinum, analytical description and comments 20-21 cultivation in Java 9 varieties, differences in seed characters 9 Stock, live, feed. See Stizolobium species. Treub, Dr. M., sender of Stizolobium seed 20-21 Van Dieman's [Diemen's] Land, cultivation of Mauritius bean and use for food. 14 Vaughan, J. C, Stizolobium pachylobium seed 19 Voigt, classification of Mauritius bean 19 Stizolobium utile 14 Wallich, description of Stizolobium utile 14 Watt, statement about names of cultivated species of Stizolobium 16-17 Wight and Arnott, classification of species of Stizolobium 10, 13, 16 identification of Stizolobium capitatum 13 description of Stizolobium utile 14 Wilt, immunity of species of Stizolobium 11 Yokohama bean. See Stizolobium hassjoo. 179 o mmm MARSTON SCIENCE LU [Continued from pace 2 of cover .J No. IT. KootDrups. 1907. l'ii . ins. 'i ho Co!.! SI ill Fruits. ints. ,,., . Drag Plants. 1907. Price, io cents. U3. To i" Alkali - ents. 11 1 Bap i 115. Distal Irlce > 10 cents. 116. ,[,< - 117. The Reseed "07. Price, io cents. lis. I I,,, , 1907. Price, in cents. 120 Produ er Lilv Bulbs in !!»■ Un cents. 121. ' Curly-Top, a Disease of Si - Price, 15 cents. - 1'rlce, 20 cents. 121. The l'ii. klv . 126. Dry-L ind Olive Culture in Northern a:- . 10 cents. 126. N ureofthe Pear. \S 127 The Improvement of M 1908. Price, 10 cents. 128. 1 .'ton in the Price, 15 cents. i •■ of '': e l.i -\\ 1 1 i cents. 130. i ents. ; 1 ins Price, S cents. 134. i le .Suits upon Leaf Structure and Transpiration of Wheat, Oats, and Barley. 135. Orchard Fruits In Virginia and the South Attn 1908. Price, 20cents. i volution. 1908. Price, lOcents. i <: g is an li Inventory] Price, 10 cents. [38. | 1908. Price, 15 cents. iks. 19119. 'US. 140 .lv Pears. Qts- 111. Mlscellane i li" Seeds and P! ints Lmpoi 1 , :; i 19D9. Price, io cents. 1 1 i. \i.p!.- Blotcl ! ' 1 15. \ i Lmerica 1909. Price, 15 cents Breeding. 1909. Price, 10 cents. li: 1909. Price, 5 cents. lis. Seedsand Plan In No. 16. 1909 Price, lOcents. 1 19. i ents. 150. Wild Alfalfas and Clovers of Siberia: 151. i mended for Cultivation. 1909. Price, 15 cents. 152.1 i of Barley and Wheat. 1909. Price, 15 cents. i Price, 10 cents. 154. : Price, 15 i l".. Control of Bl ick-Rol of the Gi ' I 15 cents. 159. L 160. Italian Lemonsand Tb 1909. Prli i 161. A New Type of Indian Corn from China, 162. Seeds hi I PI mta I Price, lOcents. 164. Promising Root I ropsl 1910. Pri 165 909 Price, lOcents. .. Price, 10 1 167. I "is- i.'.s. see Is ind P! ml Imported. 1909. Prici 170. Tr.ii il. in piowin • I 171. Some ] D [In press.] 17-'. Grape! i ns in \ inif. ■■ | in press.] 17;!. Se ison il Nitriflcatio ,10 cents. 171. The Control ol 1910. PrT i 17.".. The Hlstorv and ] 17'.. Seeds and PI mtslmp irti 1. fnv< o 177. \ Prote 1910. Pri i mprorement of the Wheat Crop In California. [In press.] 179