3C8 LEGUMINOSiE. Lkspedf.za. 



petiole ; racemes axillar)', maiiy-flowered ; apetalous flowers few ; legumes 

 villous-pubescent, ovate, acuminate, rather longer than the calj^x. 



a. stem tomentose ; leaflets oval, villous-canescent on both sides, especially 

 beneath ; peduncles crovi^ded, about the length of the leaves. — L. Stuvei, 

 NuU. ! gen. 2. p. 107. L. \'iolacea, Ell. ? 



0. leaflets oval or obovate-oval, rather glabrous above, silky pubescent be- 

 neath ; racemes spicate, dense, sometimes loose and much longer than the 

 leaves. — L. Stuvei, Ell. 1 



y. leaflets oval, ovate, and obovate, somewhat villous beneath ; racemes 

 spicate, elongated, rather loosely flowered, on peduncles longer than the 

 leaves. — L. Stuvei, Darlingt. fi. Cest. ed. 1. L. virgata, Nutt..' mss. L. 

 Nuttallii, Darlingt. I. c. ed. 2. p. 420. 



T)ry hills, Northern States, especially New Jersey ! to Louisiana ! Ark- 

 ansas ! and Texas ! Aug.-Se])t. — This species appears to assume a variety 

 of forms, and is not easily defined. It is, as it were, intermediate between 

 L. violacea and L. hirta ; some forms approaching the former so as to be 

 essentially distinguished only by the many-flowered peduncles, more hairy 

 legumes, and few apetalous flowers ; while others differ from L. hirta chiefly 

 in the purple flowers, smaller leaflets, rather shorter calyx, longer and less 

 villous and more pointed legumes, (5:c. and connect this section with the 

 succeeding. 



§ 2. Flowers all fertile and perfect, in dense or capitate spikes : corolla about 

 the length of the calyx, white or ochroleucous, with a purple s^wt on the 

 vexillum : stems erect. — Lespedezaria. 



6. L. Ibirta (Ell.) : stem erect, branching above, villous or tomentose ; 

 leaflets roundish-oval or somewhat obovate, emarginate, pubescent or silky, 

 mostly longer than the petiole ; spikes oblong or cylindrical ; the peduncles 

 at length much longer than the leaves ; calyx very hairy ; the segments 

 linear-lanceolate, acuminate, somewhat 3-nerved, scarcely exceeding the oval 

 villous legume. — Ell. sk. 2. p. 207 ; Torr. ! compend. p. 267. L. poly- 

 stachya, Michx. ! fl. 2. p. 71, t. 40 ; Pursh, I. c. ; DC. ! I. c. ; Hook. fl. 

 Bar.- Am. l.p. 156 ; Darlingt. fl. Cest. p. 421. L. villosa, Pers. syn. 2. p. 

 318 ; DC. I. c. Hedysarum hirtum, Linn. ! s^iec. 2. p. 748 ; Willcl. ! spec. 

 3. p. 1193. H. villosum, Willd.? 



iS. sparsiflora : more slender ; spikes elongated, loosely flowered. 



Dry hills, Canada ! and New England States ! to Florida and Louisiana ! 

 Aug.-Sept. — Stem 2-4 feet high. Leaflets pubescent with appressed hairs, 

 often nearly glabrous above, sometimes silky on both sides. Corolla ochro- 

 leucous, with a purple spot on the vexillum, somewhat exceeding the calyx. 

 Legume turgid when ripe. 



6. L. capiiaia (Michx.) : stem erect, nearly simple, villous-pubescent ; 

 leaves on very short petioles ; leaflets varying from elliptical to linear, rather 

 coriaceous, reticulated, silky beneath ; spikes capitate on short peduncles ; 

 calyx very hairy ; the segments strongly 3-nerved when old, much longer 

 than the oval villous-pubescent legume. — Michx. ! fl. 2. p. 71 ; Pursh ! fl. 

 2. p. 480 ; Nutt. I. c. ; Bigel. fl. Bost. ed. 2. p. 272 ; DC ! prodr. 2. p. 

 349; Beck! hot. p. 87. L. frutescens, Ell. sk. 2. p. 206; Beck! I.e.; 

 Darlingt. ! fl. Cest. p. 421. L. fruticosa, Pers. syn. 2. p. 318. Hedj^sarum fru- 

 tescens, Willd.! sp. 3. p. 1193, not of Linn. spec. ed. 1 {pi. Gronov.l) 

 which is L. violacea ! H. conglomeratum, Poir, ex DC. 



a. vtdgaris : leaflets elliptical-oblong, glabrous or. somewhat pubescent 

 above. 



/?. lonsifolia: leaflets oblong or lanceolate, glabrous above. — L. longifolia, 

 DC. ! prodr. 2. p. 349. 



