104 



FAMILY. 



16. LESPEDEZA, Brsil-CLovKK. fNamed for aped, a Spanish 

 bovernorol Florida.) All -row in san.lv <>\- sterile soil; fl. late MUUHKT 

 and autumn, y, 



* .\atn-i- species; slifin/,s anil li-iirts niimitf. 



-- Flowers in dose spikes or heads <>n /;,,/<( (-2 -4 lu',/1,} *///,/,/,> //<//>/ .sv^/w: 

 coratfa cream-color , ></,;/, ;//, ,, /-,,/, .,,.,/_ /,;,/ ,/ /, lll/f/i ,; f - tllf S ., Y/ 

 downy calyx. 



L. capitata. Leaflets olilon- or sometimes linear, silky beneath, tliieki>h ; 

 peduncles and petioles short; flowers in short spikes or heads; ealvx much 

 longer than the pod. 



L. hirta. I. ratters roundish or oval, hairy or downy ; petioles and pedun- 

 cles slender; spike- hceoniin;; rather Ion- and loose. 



-i- *- Finn; r* violet-purple, x uttered or in opm /////-/,> , ,/./>/</>, slen<Lr-plu,>- 

 </,!/, also usually some more fertile ones, mostly without petals, in small 



' - 



L. violacea. The commonest, and very variaMe, liii.-liv-liranchin-. erect 

 or spreading, with leaflets varyin- from ova'l to linear, and minutely whitish- 

 downy beneath, or sometimes silky ; the ordinary (lowers looselv paiii'el.d. 



L. prOClimbens. Soft-downy, except the upper nirface' of the o.-al or 

 oblong leaflets, slender and trailing; peduncles slender and frw-tlowercd. 



L. r6pens. Smooth, exerpt .some minute and scattered close-iircsM-d hairs 

 very slender, prostrate ; leaflets ol.ovate or oval (V lomr). 



* * Naturalized in States, from China or Ja/>,iii : sti/mlcs ovate or lance-ovate, 

 s/n'nt, , /,,,1,/,-r tlinn tin' rt-ri/ slmrt petiole. 



L. Striata. Introduced (more than 25 years a-o) in some unknown wav 

 into the Southern Atlantic States, now rapidly spreading and occupying ol'd 

 lields and waste jilace-, to the ^reat heneh't of 'the country, hein^ greedily fed 



apon by cattle ; it is low and spreadin-, .3'- 10' high, much branched, almost 

 smooth, with oblong or wedge-oblong leaflets 4' - ^ long, and 1-3 small i,ur- 



pli.-h flowers almost sessile in the axils. 



17. DESMODIUM, TICK-TREFOIL. (Xamefrom C.reek, means /,,,/ 

 I',:,'!!,,,-, irom the coaneeted joints of the pod.) T/ We have many native 

 species, common in open woods anil copses ; 11. late summer : the followin" 

 are the more' common. 



1. Xntiri- .<t/>,'n','s : tin' littlr joint* nft/ir />tn/ ailli, r,' to rlnthinrj or to the coals of 

 animals: jtmnrs *,iii<t/'iii<s tnniin;/ <//-, ,///>// //, n -!th> riii'!. 



P<xl mis, i//:/r <tt>i;> tin- ,;,/,/,- ,i */,;i,l,r stalk of its turn, strairjhtish on the 

 upper marain, divided from //.< into not more than 4 joints : i \< r,r.t in 

 our long-stalked mil.-,, I /,////<-// racem or panicle: plants smooth, l-3 

 high : stipules ' 



D. UUdifl6rum. Flower-stalk and leaf-l)earinir stem risini: separately 

 from a common roof ; the leaves all crowded on the summit of the latter, anil 

 with broadly ovate Munti.-h leaflets, pale heneath. 



D. acuminatlim. Flower-stalk terminatm- the stem, which hears a 

 cluster Of leaves ; the lar-e leaflets (4'-;V Imiir) n.und-ovalc with a taperiiii,' 

 point, or the end one blunter, -reen h.xh siilo. 



* * Poil little if nt nil raisul almri' I /if ca/i/r. 



- Stems <i;;-t, :i -f,o /,/,//,.- sti/in/is A/n/c, ,,rat, or Ian,; -orate anil pnititxl. 

 stria/,-, />, rxistriit, the lirarfs similar out <l,-ciiln,itis : flint; rs lar,/, for the 

 i/'/in-:: ,-a,;-iu< s ],anirll : /io,/s ../' 4 - 7 rhombic-oblong joints, \arli joint 

 anoiit .',' loin/. 



D. CUSpidatum. Very smooth, with a straight stem, lance-ovate and 

 taper-pointed leaflets (3' -5' Ion-) lon-er than (lie Common petiole, and pod 

 with smoothish joint-. 



D. canescens. Hairy, with Kranehinu' stejns, pale leaves ; the ovate 

 bluntish leaflet- al.out the leiiL'th of the comnion petiole, reticulated hr-neath and 

 both sides rouyhish with line clo>e pulieseence ; joints of j>od verv adhesive. 



