Orobus

Orobus, a genus of plants of the natural order Leguminosæ, sub-order Papilionaceæ, allied to Vetches, and sometimes called Bitter Vetch. The species are perennial herbaceous plants, chiefly natives of Europe. They afford good food for cattle. Two are natives of Britain, of which the most common is O. tuberosus, whose racemes of purple flowers often adorn heaths and bushy places, especially in hilly districts. Its roots are creeping and swell out into tubers at irregular intervals. The tubers have a sweet taste, resembling that of liquorice, and are sought after by children; they are also bruised and steeped in water in some parts of the Highlands of Scotland to make a fermented liquor, and a kind of liquor is made also by steeping them in whisky; they are well flavoured and nutritious when boiled or roasted, and are used in this way in the Highlands of Scotland, in Holland, Belgium, and other countries.