288 DIADELPHIA— DECANDRIA. Ervum. 



Cal. tubular, cut, about half way down, into 5 lanceolate, 

 taper-pointed segments, shorter than the corolla ; the 

 lowermost rather the longest. Cor. of 5 petals ; standard 

 largest, obovate, slightly reflexed ; wings half as long, 

 obtuse ; keel nearly equal to the wings, rounded, with an 

 acute point, of 2 combined petals, with separate claws. 

 Filam. 10; 9 united into a compressed tube, open at the 

 upper edge ; the tenth capillary, distinct, closing the fis- 

 sure. Antlu small, roundish. Germ, oblong, compressed. 

 Style cylindrical, half as long, ascending at a right angle. 

 Stigma terminal, capitate, all over hairy. Legume oblong, 

 compressed, blimtish, tumid only from the projection of 

 the seech^ which are from 2 to 4-, roundish, a little flat- 

 tened. 



Annual slender lierhs^ climbing by means of the tendrils of 

 their numerously-pinnate narrow leaves. Clusters stalked, 

 axillary, each of a very few small, palej^ow^rs. Legumes 

 small, pendulous. Our species, nearl}^ all that really be- 

 long to the genus, are useless, and but too prolific, weeds. 



The Linnaean generic description is taken from E. Lens, 

 which is truly a Cicer. 



1. 1^, tetrasperimim. Smooth Tare. 



Flowers mostly in pairs. Legume smooth, with four seeds. 

 Leaflets oblong, bluntish. 



E. tetraspermum. Linn. Sp. PL 1039. Wdld. v. 3. 1112. Fl. 



Br. 775. Engl. Bot. v. 17. t. 1223. Curt. Land. fasc. 1. t. 55. 



Hook. Scot. 2 1 G. Fl. Dan. f.Qo. 

 Vicia n. 423. Hall. Hist. ?•. 1 . 1 84. . 

 V. minor segetum, cuin siliquis paucis glabris. Moris, v. 2. 64. 



secL2.t.4.f. \6. 

 V. segetum, singularibus siliquis glabris. Bauh. Pin. 345. 

 Vicise, sive Craccae minimse, species cum siliquis glabris. Bauh. 



Hist.v.2.S\D.f. 

 Cra(;ca minor, siliquis singularibus, flosculis caerulescentibus. Raii 



Syn. 322, 

 C. minor, siliquis gemellis. Riv. Tetrap. Irr. I. 53./. 1. 



In corn fields, liedges and thickets, particularly such as are rather 

 moist. 



Annual. .June, July. 



Root small and tapering. Herb besprinkled with fine soft hairs, 

 especially the Jiower-stalks and calyx. Stem weak, quadrangu- 

 lar, branched from the bottom, leafy, climbing to the height of 

 2 or 3 feet. Leaflets 4 pair or more, linear-oblong, more or 

 les55 blunt, with a minute point. Stipulas half- arrow-shaped. 



