Desmodicm. LEGUMINOSiE. 357 



joints of the legume 3-4, nearlv orl)icular. f^labrous or pubcrulent, comprossecl, 

 ru^ose-reticulatfd. Null.! ^eii. 2. p. 110. <^ in join: (icacl. PliUtid. 7. 

 1). 19, (excl. syn.) ; DC. prodr. 2. p. Hi3 ; J/ook. ! jl. lior.-Aw. 1. p. 155. H. 

 alpinum, Mich.c! Jl. 2. p. 7-i; Jficlutnl.'i.! up]). FruiikLjouin. ed. 2. p. 

 23, not of Linn. 11. alpinum ft. Anu'iicanuui, Pursh. ti. 2. p. 481. 



Northern Canada, Michaa.v! (and near cataracts in the Allejjliany Moun- 

 tains, ex Michx.) to the Arctic Circle, Richard.wn ! Kotzebue's Sound, 

 Bepcheif ; and the Roclcy Mountains in lat. 54 , Druinmond. Also in dry 

 barren gTouiids on the Missouri around Fort Mandan, Niitlall, and near the 

 sources of that River, yi//-. Wyfth! June-July. — Stem rather stout, striate, 

 minutely pubescent, at leniTth nearly glabrous, C-12 inches high. Flowers 

 large and showy, bright violet-purple. Teeth of the calyx shorter tiian the 

 tube, triangular-subulate ; the 2 upper cues shortest. — Certainly very distinct 

 from H. alpinum of Siberia. 



2. H. .l/rtc/c^Hc;// (Richards.) : stem somewhat decumbent; leaves petiol- 

 ed ; leallets about 5 pairs, oblong, canescently hairy on both sides ; stipules 

 partly united, sheathing, with long subulate j)oints ; racemes short, on pedun- 

 cles about the length of the leaves; flowers (large) 7-10, somewhat spread- 

 ing; teeth of the calyx narrowly subulate, longer than the tube; vcxillum and 

 wings almost as long as the keel ; joints of the legume transversely rugose, 

 pubescent. — Richards. .' app. Frankl. journ. ed. 2. p. 28 ; Hook. I. c. 



ft. upper surface of the leaflets and ovary glabrous. Hook. ! I. c. 



Barren grounds, Saskatchawan, north to the Arctic Sea and west to the 

 mountains, Richarson ! Drumviond. — Flowers larger and brighter colored 

 than in the preceding species, or perhaps than any other of the genus. — Ac- 

 cording to Richardson, this plant is the Liquorice mentioned by Mackenzie 

 in his Voyage to the Arctic Sea. 



3. H. canescens (Nutt. ! mss.) : " stems numerous from the same root, 

 erect or decumbent, minutely canescent ; leaves on short petioles; leaflets 4-b 

 pairs, narrowly oblong or cuncate-oblong, canescent; stipules very small, 

 sheathing, with subulate points; racemes short; the peduncles longer than 

 the leaves ; wings much shorter than the keel ; joints of the legume 3-4, 

 oval-orbicular, nearly glabrous, transversely rugose-reticulated." 



"Plains of the Rocky Mountains, particularly near Lewis's River. — Plant 

 1-2 feet high : stems decumbent at the base, stout, branching." Nuttall. — 

 Racemes at length elongated. Flowers somewhat spreading (reHexed in 

 fruit), about the size of those of H. boreale. Teeth of the calyx narrowly- 

 subulate, rather longer than the tube. — Intermediate in some respects be- 

 tween the two preceding species. 



43. DESMODIUM. DC. mem. Leg., ^ prodr. 2. p. 325 ; W. ^ Arn» 

 prodr. Ind. Or. 1. p. 223. 



Species of Hedysarum, Linn. — Desmodium & Iledysarum, Dcsv., Kunth. 



Calyx with 2 bracteoles at the base, bilabiate (rarely almost entire) ; upper 

 lip 2-cleft or bidentate ; the lower 3-parted or 3-toothed. Corolla inserted in- 

 to the base of the calyx : vexillum roundish: keel obtuse, but not truncate. 

 Stamens diadelphous (9 & 1), or monadelphous from the base to the middle 

 and diadelphous above (rarely perfectly monadelphous) : filaments somewhat 

 persistent. Style filifoim : stigma capitate. Legume (loment) compressed, 

 composed of several 1-seeded joints, which at length separate. — Herbaceous 

 or sufTruticose plants. Leaves pinnately trifoliolate (or sometimes reduced 

 to a single leaflet) ; the lateral leaflets 1-stipcllate, the terminal one 2-stipel- 



