358 LEGUMINOS^. Desmodium. 



late. Flowers in axillary or terminal racemes, which are often paniculate, 

 small, purplish, often turning green in withering. 



The North American species are all herbaceous perennials, belonging to the sec- 

 tion Chalarium, DC, and to the suljdivision TrifnLiali. They have been assidu- 

 ously studied by our excellent friend Dr. Boott, of London, and compared with ori- 

 ginal specimens in the herbaria of Linnajus, Clayton, Banks, Michaux, &c. Most 

 of our own specimens have been examined by Dr. Booit, who has kindly furnished 

 us with his remarks ; but he by no means considers the synonymy as satisfactorily 

 determined. Accordins^to Mr. Nutiall, not a single species of Desmodium occurs 

 west of the River Platte, 



§ 1. Slamens wholly or partly monad elpTious : calyx toothed or nearly en- 

 tire : legume stijiitate. 



'--1. D.nudiflorum (DC): stem erect, puberulent. leafy at the summit; 

 leaflets broadly ovate, somewhat glaucous beneath; raceme radical and 

 scape-like, assurgent, usually naked, much longer than the stem: stamens 

 perfectly monadelphous ; calyx broadly campanulate, obscurely bilabiate, up- 

 per lip entire, the lower slightly 3-toothed ; legumes on a very long stipe, 

 straight on the back, the joints obscurely triangular. — DC.prodr. 2. p. 330; 

 Hook.Ji. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 154; Darlinsrt.fi. Cest. p. 418. Hedysarum nudi- 

 florum, Linn.; Mich.v. ! jl. 2. p. 71; ^Pursh,f. 2. p. 483; Ell. sk. 2. p. 209. 

 Dry woodlands, Canada ! to Georgia ! and Florida ; west to Louisiana 

 July-Aug. — Stem 6-12 inches high. Leaflets 2-3 inches long, pale beneath, 

 ciliolate on the margin. Scape sometimes 3 feet or more in height, arising 

 from the base of the stem, often bearing 1-2 trifoliolate leaves. Panicle loose: 

 pedicels single or in pairs, 4-8 lines long, filiform. Calyx at length spreading ; 

 the teeth very short, obtuse, except the middle one of the loAver lip, which is 

 rather acute. Corolla bright purple, the keel pale: vexillum roundish-obo- 

 vate, with 2 dark spots near the base. Legume 2-3- (rarely 4-) jointed; the 

 joints slightly connected, a little concave on the back, sparingly pubescent 

 with short uncinate hairs ; stipe nearly an inch long. 



-f 2. D. acuminatum (DC): stem erect, simple, pubescent, leafy at the 

 summit ; leaves on very long petioles ; leaflets conspicuously acuminate, the 

 lateral ones broadly ovate, terminal one roundish ; panicle terminal, on a very 

 long naked peduncle; calyx campanulate; the upper lip obtuse, slightly 

 emarginate; lower lip 3-lobed, the middle lohe acute ; stamens monadelphous 

 below the middle; joints of the legumes 2-3, semioval. — DC. prodr. 2. p. 

 329; Hook.Ji. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 154; Darlingt. fl. Cesf. p. 417. Hedysarum 

 acuminatum, Mich.v ! fl. 2. p. 72; Pursh., fl. 2. p. 483; Bigel. fl. Bost. p. 

 275; Ell. sk. 2. p. 209. H. glutinosum, Willd. sp. 3. p. 1198. 



Dry woodlands, Canada ! to Florida! west to Louisiana! July. — Stem 

 about one foot high, sprinkled with soft hairs. Leaves 2-4 or sometimes 5 

 inches long, thin: petioles 2-6 inches in length. Stipules setaceous. Ra- 

 cemes in a long racemose terminal panicle : pedicels 3-4 lines long. Flow- 

 ers much resembling those of the preceding species. Legume clothed with 

 short uncinate hairs; the joints concave above, rounded below : stipe about 

 half an inch long. 



3. D. pauciflorum (DC.) : stem decumbent or assurgent, mostly simple, 

 somewhat hairy ; leaves distant ; lateral leaflets ovate, the terminal one 

 rhombic-ovate, all slightly acuminate and finely ciliate ; stipules almost want- 

 ing ; racemes terminal, slender, few-flowered ; calyx campanulate, indistinct- 

 ly bilabiate ; upper lip 2-toothed, the lower 3-toothed, all the teeth very short 

 and acute ; stamens monadelphous below the middle ; legume mostly 2-joint- 

 ed; the joints obtusely triangular; stipe shorter than the pedicels. — DC. 



