1893.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 65 



Erect, slender, simple and wand-like or branched, resem- 

 bling the preceding species. Leaflets linear or oblong-linear, 

 6" — 18" long, 1" — 2^" wide, truncate, obtuse or some- 

 times acute at the apex, finely pubescent or glabrate on both 

 surfaces ; clusters of both kinds of flowers sessile, crowded in 

 the upper axils ; pod ovate, acute, 2" long, pubescent or 

 nearly glabrous. 



Dry soil, Massachusetts to Minnesota, south to Florida, and 

 Texas. 



This is based on " Medicago caule erecto ramosissimo, flor- 

 ibus fasciculatus terminalibus," Gron. Fl. Virg. 86. This type 

 is preserved in the herbarium of the British Museum of Natural 

 History. Linnfeus cites as a synonym "Loto affiuis trifoliata 

 frutescens glabra, Pluk. Mant. 120," but the specimen of this 

 preserved among Plukenet's plants, also at the British Museum 

 of Natural History, is L. capilata, Michx. 



The type of Hedymriim reticulation is a plant sent by Muhlen- 

 berg to Willdeuow. I have not seen it, but it was evidently 

 seen by either Dr. Torrey or Dr. Gray as the reference to Will- 

 deuow' s name in the Flora of North America is followed by an 

 exclamation mark. 



Lespedeza [t^essiliffora, Michx. is preserved in Herb. Michaux. 

 Persoon's L. reticulata I have not seen, but his description is 

 satisfactory. Hedysarum junceum, Walt, is not preserved in 

 Walter's Herbarium at the British Museum of Natural History. 

 The calyx teeth of the petaliferous flowers of this species are 

 quite long, sometimes equalling the pod. 



8. Lespedeza hirta (L.) Ell. 

 Hedysarum hirfum, L. Sp. PI. 748 (1753). 

 Lespedeza pohjdachya, Michx. Fl. Bor. Amer. ii. 71 (1803). 

 Lespedeza hirta, Ell. Sketch Bot. S. C. ii. 207 (1824). 



Erect or ascending, rather stout, generally branching above, 

 villous or silky-pubescent, 2°— 4° high. Stipules subulate, 

 1" — 2i^" long ; petioles shorter than the leaves ; leaflets 

 oval or suborbicular, obtuse at each end, sometimes emarginate 

 at the apex, 6"— 2' long ; peduncles elongated, usually 

 much exceeding the leaves; heads oblong, rather dense, 

 y^i—iy^' long ; flowers all complete ; corolla yellowish-white or 

 the standard purple spotted, about 3" long ; pod oblong, 

 acute, very pubescent, about equalling or slightly exceeding the 

 calyx-lobes. 



Transactions M. Y. Acad. Sci. Vol. XII. March I6th, 1893. 



