DIADELPHIA— DECANDRIA. Trifolium. 297 



ter^ quinate; leaflets equal, either toothed or entire, obo- 

 vate, rarely linear. Stipidas membranous, ribbed, united 

 in pairs to the bottom o^ each footstalk. FL terminal or 

 lateral, either tufted, capitate, spiked, or clustered, gene- 

 rally on a simple common stalk, rarely fragrant, their 

 colour red, purplish, pale blue, white or yellow. Many 

 of the species are highly important as food for cattle, 

 either fresh, or in the state of hay, often acquiring a fra- 

 grant scent in drying. 

 Linnaeus found Trifolium, though a most natural genus, 

 extremely difficult to define, as every botanist must. He 

 thought it necessary to admit the inflorescence, as " a little 

 umbel, or head, with a common receptacle^'' into his generic 

 character; but this is neither correct in principle, noi- in 

 fact, and 1 have ventured to discard it. 



* Floivers in clusters or spikes. Seeds 1 or more. Melilotus. 



1. T. officinale. Common Melilot. 



Clusters unilateral. Legume prominent, acute, transversely 

 wrinkled, hairy, with two seeds. Stem erect. Stipulas 

 awl-shaped. 



T. officinale. Fl.Br.7Sl. Engl. Bot.r. ]9.t. IS40. mild. v. 3. 



1355, Hook. Scut. 217. 

 T. Melilotus-officinalis. Linn. Sp. PL 1078. Huds. 323. Marl. 



Rust. t. 72. Fl. Dan. t. 934. Sincl. ed. 2.393. Bull. Fr. t. 255. 

 T. odovatum, seu Melilotus fiuticosa lutea vulgaris vel officinarum. 



Moris, r . 2. 1 f) 1 . sect. 2.t.l6.f.2. 

 T. odoratum, sive Melilotus. Dod. Pempt. 567./. 

 Melilotus vulgaris. Raii Sijn. 33 1 . Trag. Hist. 59 1 ./. Dalech. 



Hist.bW.f. 

 M. n. 362. Hall. Hist. v. 1 . 158. 

 Saxifraga lutca. Fuchs. Hist. 749./. 

 Lotus sylvestris. Fuchs. Jr. 436./. 

 L. urbana. Matth. falgr.bOa.f. Camer. Epit. 893./. 



In thickets, hedges, and the borders of fields ; sometimes among 

 corn. 



Annual. June, July. 



Rout tapering. Stem 2 or 3 feet high, erect, branched, leafy, an- 

 gular, furrowed, smooth. Leaflets obovate, narrow, serrated, 

 dark green, smooth ; the partial stalk of the middle one rather 

 the longest. Clusters 2 inches or more in length, on long axil- 

 lary stalks. Fl. numerous, all drooping towards one side, of a 

 full yellow, veiny. Standard folded and keeled, notched, but 

 little longer than the keel and tvingSj scarcely rcflcxcd. Stigma 



