in botany, a genus of the decandra order, belonging to the diadelphia clas of plants. There are many species, but only five are usually cultivated in our gardens. 1. The tetragonolobus, or winged pea, hath trailing, slender, branchy stalks, about a foot long; garnished with trifoliate oval leaves; and, from the axils of the branches, large, papilionaceous red flowers, one on each footstalk; succeeded by tetragonous solitary pods, having a membranous wing or lobe, running longitudinally at each corner. It flowers in June and July, and the seeds ripen in autumn. 2. The creticus, or Cretan silvery lotus, hath a slender undershrubby stalk, rising by support three or four feet high, ornamented with trifoliolate, bright silvery leaves; and branches terminated by several yellow flowers succeeded by subterranean pods. 3. The Jacobean, or lotus of St James's island, hath upright herbaceous stalks branching two or three feet high, and, from the upper part of the branches, long slender footstalks, terminated each by three or five yellowish purple flowers, appearing most part of the summer and autumn, and succeeded by subterranean pods filled with plenty of seeds. 4. The hirsutus, or hairy Italian lotus, hath upright hairy stalks branching a yard high; and terminated by heads of whitish honey-cupped flowers appearing in June, which are succeeded by oval pods full of seed, which ripens in autumn. 5. The dorycynium, or white Austrian lotus, hath undershrubby smooth stalks, branching three or four feet high, and the branches terminated by aphyllous heads of small white flowers appearing in June, succeeded by short pods.

Culture, &c. The first species is a hardy annual, and is easily raised from seed sown any time from the month of February to May; the plants requiring no other culture than to be kept free from weeds. It was formerly cultivated as an esculent; for its young green seed-pods may be dressed and eat like peas, or in the manner of kidney-beans. The other species may be propagated either by seeds or cuttings, but require to be kept in pots in the greenhouse during the winter season.