264 Mr. C. Babington on the British Species of Lotus. 



have been induced to consider the characters given above as 

 variable, but there is nothing more uncertain in this genus 

 than the quantity of the pubescence, unless it is the direction 

 of the stems. The same species may be found glabrous, hairy, 

 or even woolly, and its stems procumbent or erect. I need 

 scarcely add, that the field is the right place for examining 

 these plants, many of their most permanent differences va- 

 nishing when the plant has been pressed and dried for the 

 Herbarium. 



3. L. angustissimus, Linn. (Sp. PI. 1090.) Vexilli ungue lineari 



calycibus ante anthesin rectis, laciniis subulatis tubum suum 



subsequantibus petalis brevioribus, legu minibus e sutura supe- 



riore recte rostratis calyce sextuplo longioribus linearibus. 



a. Linnceanus. Pedunculo florigero folium subsequante, fructifero 



duplo longiori, foliolis stipulisque ovato-lanceolatis acutis, caulibus 



procumbentibus. — L. angustissimus, Linn. Herb. L. diffusus, Ser. 



in DC. Prod. 2. 213. L. angustissimus /3 diffusus, Bot. Gall. 1. 



138. 



(3. Seringianus. Pedunculo semper folium subsequante, foliolis 

 obovato-oblongis stipulisque ovatis acutis, caulibus ascendentibus, 

 — L. angustissimus, Ser. in DC. Prod. 2. 213. Bot. Gall. 1. 137. 



Fig. 3. L. angustissimus. 

 var. a. var. /3. 



d.\. d.2. d.3. d.4. d.5. d.6. 



Root strong, annual. Stems procumbent or ascending, 

 numerous, branched, filiform, covered with long hairs. Leaf- 

 lets ovate-lanceolate in var. a, obovate oblong in /3, pointed. 

 Stipules oblique ovate-lanceolate and acute in a, ovate, slightly 

 attenuated, and less acute in /3. Peduncles about as long as 

 the leaves, in a much lengthened when bearing fruit. Bracteas 

 lanceolate, usually 3, equalling or shorter than the calyx. 

 Pedicels very short, usually solitary. Calyx segments about 

 as long as their tube, but shorter than the corolla. Flowers 

 yellow, small. Pods five or six times as long as the calyx^ 



