LEGU.MINOSJG. 



117 TRIFOLIUM. 



the whole reflexed. Wings oblong-ovate, affixed to the appendages of the 

 keel, cohering by their edges within it.— Herbaceous, with palmately trifoli- 

 ate leaves. 



1. M. lupuh'na. 



Spikes ovate ; legumes reniform, 1-seeded, veiny, rugose ; stems procumbent. 

 Pretty common in fields and road-sides. Stems angular, leafy. Leaves ter- 

 nate, resemblino- those of clover. Leaflets obovate, serrulate, mucronate. 

 Spikes small, of'yellow flowers. Pods somewhat spiral, a form which char- 

 acterizes the genus. May— Oct. Ann. J^one-sucfi. 



2. M. SATi'VA. 



Peduncles racemed; Zeo'?/7nc5 smooth, spirally twisted; stipules enlhe ; leaf- 

 lets oblong, toothed. A deep-rooting, perennial plant, sending up numerous, 

 tall and sFender clover-like shoots, with spikes of blue or violet flowers. Na- 

 tive of Europe, where it is highly valued as a forage plant. It has been nat- 

 uralized and cultivated to some extent with us, but has hitherto proved of less 

 value than clover. July. Per. Luceni Medick. 



3. M. interte'xta. 



Peduncles about 2-flowered; legumes cochleate, oval, with downy, seta- 

 ceous, pubescent, reflexed, appressed prickles ; leaflets ThomholAaX, toothed. 

 Native of S. Europe. Cultivated as a garden flower for the curiosity of its 

 pods. About a foot in hight. Flowers yellow. Jn.— Aug. Ann. Hedge-hog. 



4. M. scutella'ta. 



Peduncles 2-flowered ; legumes unarmed, cochleate, orbicular, convex at the 

 base, flat above, with concentric, spiral folds. Native of S. Europe. Culti- 

 vated among flowers for tiie cuiiosily of its pods, which much resemble snail 

 shells. July. Ann. Snail. 



Several other species are equally curious with the above, and are sometimes 

 found in our gardens. 



10. TRIE O' LIU M. 



Legume covered by the caljx, falling off entire, 2 — 4-seed- 

 ed; flowers subcapitatc. 



Gr. r(i:(pv>.>.ov. Fr. trifle, Eng. trefoil. As the name indicates, these plants 

 are trifoliate. Cal. inferior, 5-toothed, perennial. Cor. 4-petaled, allmore or 

 less united by their long claws, withering. Vex. reflexed. Wings all oblong, 

 shorter than the vex. Keel 1-petaled, sliorter tlian the wings. Fil. 9 in one 

 set, 1 in the other. Legumes short, membranous, without valves, hardly 

 longer than the calyx. Seeds roundish. — Herbs. Leaflets with straiglat veins, 

 scarcely reticulated. Flowers in dense heads or spikes. 



1. T. prate'nse. 



Spikes dense ; stems ascending ; coroVas unequal ; loicer tooth of the calyx 

 longer than the four others, which are equal; leaflets ova\, entire. This is 

 the^'common Red Clover, so extensively cultivated in grass lands, with herds 

 grass {Phleum pratense) and other grasses, and often alone. Stems several 

 from tiie same root, hairy. Leaves ternate, the leaflets ovate, lighter colored 

 in the centre, entire and nearly smooth. Stipules ovate, mucronate. Flow- 

 ers red, in short, ovate spikes or heads, sweet-scented. Corollas monopeta- 

 lous. Flowers all summer. Per. -Rcii Clover, 



