268 DIADELPHIA— DECANDRIA. Anthyllis. 



In barren pastures, the borders of fields, and sandy road-sides. 

 y on the sandy sea coast. 



Perennial. June — August. 



Root woody, tough and strong, whence the English name. Stems 

 annual, though often considerably woody or shrubby, various 

 in length, erect, reclining, or in y quite prostrate 3 all round, 

 branched, leafy and hairy, each of their principal, as well as 

 short lateral, branches often terminating in a straight sharp 

 spine, particularly where the soil is poor, or the roots of long 

 standing, and this happens frequently even in the maritime va- 

 riety y. Leaves alternate, stalked, elliptical inclining to wedge- 

 shaped, dark green, roughish, strongly marked with straight, 

 parallel, oblique, lateral ribs ; entire in their lower part ; ser- 

 rated with minute teeth towards the extremity ; many of the 

 lower ones tern ate. Stipulas variable in size, on luxuriant 

 plants rather large, ovate, toothed, combined, clasping the stem. 

 Fl. axillary, mostly solitary, on short stalks, large and hand- 

 some, of a brilliant rose-colour. Cal. hairy j its teeth perma- 

 nent, enlarging as the fruit ripens. Standard twice the size 

 of the ivings and keel. Legume obliquely rhomboid, partly hairy, 

 not so long as the calyx. ASeeds rough with minute points. The 

 foliage and calyx are glutinous, and, in the first or more lux- 

 uriant variety, have a strong goat-like smell. 



O. antiquorum, by the Linnaean specimen at leasi, which is an au- 

 thentic one, differs in nothing, not even in hairiness, from the 

 spinous state of our common plant. O. hircina, Jacq. Hort. 

 Vind. V. 1 . t. 93, sent by the author himself, may be a distinct 

 species. It is much larger than any thing we have in Britain, 

 erect, with perfectly elliptical leaves, copiously serrated through- 

 out, mostly ternate 5 very large stipulas ; and Jiowers usually 

 in pairs. Its synonyms have generally been confounded with 

 the unarmed state of our O. arvensis ; see Ger. Em. 1322./. 3. 

 Clus. Hist. V. 1. 99./. 1 3 and Bauh. Hist. v. 2. 393./ 2. It is 

 moreover the real 0. spinosa mitis, Linn. Sp. PL 1006. 



356. ANTHYLLIS. Kidney- vetch. 



Linn. Gen.37\. Juss. 355. Fl. Br.759. Lam.t.dlb. Gcertn. 



t.]45. 

 Vulneraria. Tourn. t.2ll. 



Cal. tubular, ovate-oblong, inflated, shaggy, with 5 small, 

 unequal, margmal teeth, permanent. Cot\ of 5 petals, 

 with linear claws the length of the calyx ; standard long- 

 est, reflexed at the sides ; wings half-ovate, shorter than 

 the standard; keel of 2 narrower petals, compressed, 

 slightly cohering at the tips. Filam. 10, united into one 

 cylinder, finally splitting along the upper edge, their 

 separate extremities curved upwards. Anth. small, round- 



