LEGUMINOSJ:. 471 



greenish, but do not become leaf-like ; in P. multiflorus they remain 

 underground. Stamens as in the Vetches. Phaseolus (Kidney- 

 bean) : the keel with the stamen and style is spirally twisted 

 (to the right). Herbs, twining to the left. The "Calabar-bean" 

 (Phtjsostigma venenosum), Erythrina, Clitoria, Glyciiie, Soja, Mucuna, Apios, 

 Canavalia, Vigna, Dolichos, Ctijaiins, Rhynchosia, etc. 



6. TRIFOLIKJ; (CLOVERS). Herbs with ternate leaves, the leaflets 

 are often dentate with the veins prolonged into the teeth ; stamens 

 diadelphous; fruit 1-locular, 1-few-seeded, pyxidium-like, irregu- 

 larly dehiscent, or more frequently a nut. The flowers are generally 

 borne in capitula, racemes, or spikes. Trifolium (Clover). The 

 corolla is garnopetalous. The calyx persists, together with the 

 corolla, round the ripe fruit. The inflorescence is a spike, capitu- 

 lum or capitate umbel ; the leaves are ternate, and have adnate 

 stipules. Medicago (Medick). The corolla falls off after flower- 

 ing ; fruit curved like a sickle or spirally twisted ; it is a nut, and 

 opens with difficulty. Leaves ternate. Melilotus (Melilot) has a 

 small, spherical or lanceolate, thick and wrinkled fruit, which as 

 a rule is indehiscent. The inflorescence is a raceme, often long, 

 or a spike, sometimes a capitulum. Leaves ternate. Ononis 

 (Rest-harrow) differs in having monadelphous stamens and in 

 being more shrub-like and bushy, and in having a normal, 2-valved 

 pod, by which characteristic it approaches the Genistese. The 

 flowers are generally rose-coloured, solitary, or in few-flowered 

 racemes in the leaf-axils. Thorns (branches) are often present; 

 the leaves are compound with only one small leaflet (the terminal 

 one), or ternate with acliiate stipules. 



7. LOTEJ;. Herbs with ternate or imparipinnate leaves, with 

 entire leaflets. In the latter case, when the lowest pair of leaf- 

 lets is placed quite close to the sheath, the stalk is wanting, and 

 apparently a trifoliate leaf with large stipules is developed. 

 Flowers in an umbel or capitulum. Stamens monadelphous or 

 diadelphous, the filaments (either all of them, or only the 5 sepal- 

 stamens) are widened at the top. Lotus (Bird's-foot-trefoil) has a 

 long, round pod. Tetraqonolobus. Antliyllis (Lady's-finger) ; the 

 fruit is a nut, which is distributed by the wind by means of the 

 membranous, bladder-like calyx, Avhich completely encloses and 

 falls off with it. 



8. GENISTE^E. The majority are shrubs or trees with apparently 

 simple leaves, i.e. compound leaves with only one leaflet (the 

 terminal leaflet), or ternate leaves ; the stipules in most instances 



