304 



LEGUMINOS.E. CLIX. Onobrychis. 



on Its coming into full blossom, and as it remains but a short 

 time in that state, as much expedition as possible should be 

 employed both in mowing it and making the produce into hay. 

 It is the most easy crop to make into hay, when the season is 

 favourable. The haymakers follow the scythe, and having 

 turned over the swaths, throw it into wind-rows, when it may 



i;. H, Native of Siberia, on the banks 



plant as in 0. sativa. 

 of the Don. Hedys. onobrychis, Bieb. fl. taur. no. 1431. 

 sativa, var. /3, subvillosa, D. C. prod. 2. p. 344. 0. 

 Tatarica, Fisch. in litt. Flowers flesh-coloured. 



0. 



sativa 



River Don Salntfoin. FL June, July. Clt. 1817. PI. 2 ft. 

 3 O.. monta'na (D. C. fl. fr. 4. p. 611.) stem rather decum- 



be immediately formed into cocks, and the wliole crop be fit bent ; stipulas joined together, opposite the leaves ; leaflets cu 

 for carting in a week after it is mown; and though it may appear neate-lanceolate, mucronulate, glabrous ; spikes of flowers short; 

 green, and the stack acquire a considerable degree of heat, there keel longer than the vexillum; wings^ shorter than the calyx; 

 is no danger to be apprehended, provided the weather has been 

 fair during the hay-ricking, as it is so far from taking harm by 

 heating in the stack, that the contrary state is most to be feared, 

 and for this reason great care is necessary not to suffer the 

 fodder to cont'nue too long either in the swath or in the cocks, 



legumes toothed on the back, but wrinkled and pubescent on the 

 sides. lj[. H. Native of the alps of Europe and of theP 

 renees, in the higher meadows. Hedys. montanum, Pers. enc 



2. p. 



0. sativa* 



324. According to Wahlenberg this is only a variety of 



Flowers deep purple or red. 

 lest the air and wind should dry it too fast, and by exhaling 'Mountain Sainifom. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1817. PI. dec. 



Its juices prevent its heating in the stack, and thereby render it 

 of little value. 



In regard to the frequency of cutting saintfoin^ it is probable 

 that on the thinner sorts of soils it can seldom be done more than 



4 O. confe'rta (Desv. journ. hot. 1814. 1. p. 83.) stems de- 

 clinate ; stipulas usually distinct ; leaflets oblong-elliptic, mucro- 

 nulate, pubescent beneath ; racemes of flowers ovate ; ^vings 

 shorter than the calyx ; keel equal in length to the vexillum ; 



once, but on those of the deeper sorts two crops may sometimes legumes rather hoary, furnished with rather long prickles on the 

 be taken, in the same manner as clover, care being taken in these back, but wrinkled and furnished with a few short prickles ott 

 cases tbat the future growth of the plants be not injured by this the sides. If. H. ' Native of Caucasus, Iberia, south of Podo- 



lia, in grassy places. Hedys. confertum, Bieb. fl. taur. et suppl. 



The usual duration of saintfoin^ m a profitable state, is from 1452. Flowers deep red. 



Crowrferf- flowered Saintfoin. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1817. PI* 



means. 



8 to 10 years. It usually attains its perfect growth in about 3 



and begins to decline towards the 



years, 



calcareous soils, and about the 



8 th or 10 th year on 

 7th or 8th on gravels. There 



are instances, however, of fields of saintfoin which have been 

 neglected and left to run into pasture, in which plants have been 

 found upwards of 50 years from the time of sowing. In 

 general the great enemy to the endurance of saintfoin is the 

 grass, whicli accumulates and forms a close tuft on the surface, 

 and thus chokes up the plant. 



The quantity of produce on a medium of soils and cultivation 

 may probably be estimated at from about one and a half to two 

 tons per acre. And on the poorer and thinner staple sorts of 

 land it will perhaps seldom afford less than from a ton to a ton 

 and a half on an acre. 



The nutritive products of saintfoin are the same as clover, viz. 

 Sxij being 1-j^^ per cent, more than those of lucern. 



In saving seed from saintfoin, it should remain on the land 

 till the husks become of a somewhat brownish colour, and the 

 seeds are perfectly plump and firm. It requires some expe- 

 rience to know of what degree of ripeness to cut the seeded 

 saintfoin, because all the seeds do not ripen at the same time on 

 the same spike or head, as all the heads begin blossoming at 

 the lower part, and continue to blow gradually upwards for 

 many days, so that before the flowers have gone off the top, prickly. 



decumbent. 



5 O. Fontane'sii ; procumbent, pubescent; stipulas ovate, 

 acute, dry; leaflets crowded, elliptic, obtuse, pubescent, and nerved 

 beneath; racemes of flowers ovate, crowded. If . H. Native 

 of Tunis, in sandv places near Sbiba. Hedys. confertum, Desi. 

 fl. atl. 2. p. 178. "'O. conferta /3, Fontanesii, D. C. prod. 2. p- 

 344. Flowers fine red. 



PL } ft. 



Desfontain's Saintfoin. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1820. 



6 O. procu'mbens (Stev. in litt. D. C. prod. 2. p. 344.) stems 

 procumbent; leaflets oblong-linear, mucronate, pubescent be- 

 neath : spikes of flowers cylindrical, on long peduncles ; wu^ 



keel rather exceeding the vexillum' 



the seeds are almost mature at the bottom, therefore if the cut- 

 ting is deferred till the top seeds are quite ripe, the lower, which 

 are the best, would then all be lost. The best time to cut it is 

 when the greater portion of the lower seeds are ripe, and the 

 last blown beginning to be full. The unripe seeds will ripen 

 after cutting, and be in all respects as good as those that were 

 ripe before. It should be mown in the morning and evening, 

 when the plant is most supple, for if mown in the heat of the 

 day the ripe seeds will shed. In fine clear weather saintfoin 

 seed will soon dry.. After being dried it may be either thrashed 



shorter than the calyx; „ 



legumes pubescent, denticulated on the back, with the sides 

 wrinkled, and rather prickly. % . H. Native of Iberia, about 

 Tiflis. Hedys. onobrychis var. Iberica, Bieb. suppl. 484. 

 Flowers red. 



Procumbent Saintfoin. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1819. PL prjc* 



7 O. supi^NA (D.C. fl. fr. 5. p. 612.) stems diffuse, rather 

 hairy; leaflets oblong, hardly mucronulate; spikes ovate-ol^ 

 long, pedunculate ; wings of flower shorter than the calyx, an 

 the carina shorter than the calyx ; legumes villous, crested an 

 toothed on the back, but with the disks wrinkled, and rather 



1/. H. Native of Lower Vallais, Provence, Dauphmy, 

 Cevennes, and the Pyrenees. Hedys. supinum, Vill. daupn. 

 p. 394. H. herbaceum, Lapeyr. H. pallidum, Schleich. Floffers 

 pale red. 



Supine Saintfoin. FL June, July. Clt. 1819. PI- P^oc- . 



8 O. GLA^BRA (Desv. journ. hot. 1814. vol. 1. p. 82.) sten^^ 

 ascending; leaflets lanceolate, acuminated, quite gl^^^^"^',^ 

 gumes oblong, chinky, glabrous, crested, with the crest toot 

 at the apex. %. H. Native of Tauria. Hedys. onobrjcm 

 var. c, Gouan, ill. 48. ? Flowers red. 



.. , Glabrous Saintfoin. Fl. June, July." Clt. 1816. VI ascending- 



out in the house or on the field on a large sheet, it then should 9 O. arena' ria (D. C. prod. 2. p. 345.) stem erect, suttru- 



be riddled through a large sieve, to separate the seed from 

 cliaff and broken stems. 



th 

 The haulm may be then used as hay. 

 Cultivated or Common Saintfoin. " ~ 



PI. 2 to 3 feet. 



Fl. June, July. Britain. 



2 O. Tanai'tica (Spreng. neue. entd. 2. p. 1G2.) stem erect- 



ish ; stipulas 



ally distinct ; leaflets elliptic-lanceolate, mu- 



cronulate, clothed with silky pubescence beneath, the rest of the .turn, Patrin. herb. 



tescent at the base ; leaflets oblong-linear, mucronate, g^^^^*?" j 

 spikes of flowers cylindrical; wings shorter than the calyx; 

 about equal in length to the vexillum ; legumes pubescent, ali^. 

 toothless on the back, but wrinkled on the sides. 1/ • H. ^ . 

 of Hungary and of Siberia, at the Irtish about KroupeanKS- 

 Hedys. arenarium, Kit. in litt. Willd. enum. suppl. 31. H. ^^ 



Flowers red. 



