290 DIADELPHIA— DECANDRIA. Hippocrepis. 



slender, ascending. Stigma capitate, naked. Legume 

 curved, compressed, jointed, separating finally at the 



• joints, each of which remains closed, containing a solitary 

 roundish seed. 



Small, mostly annual, herbs. Leaves pinnate, with an odd 

 leaflet; rarely ternate only. Stipulas undivided. FL either 

 capitate or umbellate, reddish or yellow, minute. 



1. O.perpusillus. Common Bird's-foot. 



Leaves pinnate. Flowers capitate, accompanied by a leaf. 

 Legumes incurved, beaded. 



O.perpusillus. Linn. Sp. PL 1049. Willd. v. 3. 1155. FI.Br.777. 

 Engl.Bot.v.6.t.369. €urt. Lond.fasc.6.t 53. Hook.Scot.2\6. 

 Ornithopodium n. 393. Hall. Hist. v.lA7 . 

 O. radice nodosa. Rati Syn.326. 

 O. minus. Ger. Em.\24\.f. 

 O. tuberosum. Dalech. Hist.4S6.f. 



In sandy or gravelly pastures. 



Annual. May. 



Root fibrous, annual, though, as Dillenius in Ray's Sy^iopsis re- 

 cords, after Mr. Doody, it is sometimes propagated by subterra- 

 neous lateral granulations, or knobs, in the manner of a potatoe, 

 in which case the seeds are abortive. Similar knobs occur in 

 ricia lathyroides, and other papilionaceous plants. The stems, 

 often numerous, are procumbent, from 3 to 10 or 12 inches long, 

 furrowed, downy, leafy. Leaves alternate, of from 5 to 10 or 12 

 pair of small, uniform, elliptical leajlets, hairy, especially at the 

 back, with a terminal one about the same size and figure. Sti- 

 pulas very small, the upper ones lanceolate or awl-shaped, 

 scarcely visible; lower linear, acute, united laterally to Xht foot- 

 stalks. Fl. 3 or 4 in each little head, or tuft, closely accompa- 

 nied by a pinnate leaf, of but few leaflets. Cal. downy, colour- 



' ed. Standard and wings white, beautifully veined with crimson -, 

 keel greenish. Legumes pointed, curved upwards, finely hairy, 

 wrinkled lengthwise when dry, their bead-like joints elliptical, 

 moderately compressed. 



0. majus, Bauh. Pin. 350. Ger. Em. 1241./. 3, is supposed to be 

 a larger variety of perpusillus, difi^erent from 0. intermedins of 

 Roth and Hoftmann. Roth describes the latter as having stems 

 2 or 3 feet long, flowers thrice the size of perpusillus, and a very 

 hairy calyx. Nothing answering to this account has been ob- 

 served in England. 



363. HIPPOCREPIS. Horse-shoe-vetch. 



linn. Gew. 381. Juss.3&\. Fl.Br.777. Lam.t.630. 

 Ferrum equimim. Tourn.t. 225. 



