60 TEANSACTIONS OF THE [JaN. 9 



In dry or sandy soil. Long Island to Florida, west to West 

 Virginia, Minnesota, and Texas. 



Tlie species is based on the " Hedysarum caulibus procum- 

 bentibus, racemis lateralibus solitariis, petiolis pedunculo lon- 

 gioribus'' of Gronovius Fl. Virg. p. 8G. There is a specimen 

 with this label in the herbarium of the British Museum of 

 Natural History, the label bearing in addition the following : 



"A species of trailing Trefoil with purple and white flowers, 

 two or three on each footstalk, coming forth from the wings of 

 the leaves. D. Clayton ex Virginia, num. 85." 



"Hedysarum 2:)rocumbens, Trifolii fragiferi folio. H. Elth. 

 p. 172, tab. 172, fig, 169." [This is erroneous. Tlie plant of 

 plate 172, Hortus Elthamensis, as shown by the figure, is not a 

 Lespedeza, but apparently a species of Dei^modium. It is said to 

 have been raised from seeds from Ceylon.] 



Also in another handwriting, apparently written later : 

 " Hedysarum foliis ternatis obcordatis, caulibus procumbenti- 

 bus, racemis lateralibus. Linn. Syst. Gen. 793, n. 24. Sj). PI. 

 2, p. 1056, n. 30." [This is Linneeus' description of the species 

 in Sp. PL Ed. 1, p. 749 and Ed. 2, p. 1056.] 



The plant of Linnaeus herbarium marked Hedysarum repens is 

 not a Lespedeza at aW. Smith has noted on the sheet " planta 

 Dill. Elth.," but I think he was mistaken. I did not recognize 

 it. But the Gronovian specimen preserved at the British Mu- 

 seum of Natural History is certainly our plant, and the type of 

 the species. 



It may readily be distinguished from L. pr on umbenshj its very 

 slender, nearlj^ glabrous steins, its equally glabrous leaves, 

 which have a strong tendency to be obovate, and are commonly 

 retuse or emarginate at the apex, sometimes almost obcordate. 

 It seems to be of more southern range than L. j>rocinnben.s, but 

 more specimens are needed to establish its geographical distri- 

 bution. Its pod is usually shorter, more pubescent and less 

 jjrominently reticulated than that of L. procumbens. 



2. Lespedeza PROCUMfiENS, Michx. 



Lespedeza procumbens, Michx. Fl. Bor. Am ii. 70 (1803). 



Woolly or downy-pubescent, trailing, procumbent or some- 

 times ascending, stouter than the preceding species, stems 

 12' — 30' long. Stijiules subulate ; petioles commonly much 

 shorter than the leaves ; leaflets oval or elliptic, rarely slightly 

 oV)ovate, obtuse or retuse at the apex, rounded at the base, 

 5" — 12" long ; peduncles of the petaliferous flower-clusters 



