DIADELPHIA-DECANDRIA. Lotus. 313 



L. corniculata glabra minor. Rail Syn. 334. Bauh. Hist. v. 2. 354. 

 /. 3:)5. 



L. sativa. Dalech. Hisf.bO?. 



Trifolium siliqiiosum minus. Ger. Em. 1 190./. 



T. corniculatum primum. Dod. Pempt. 5/3./. 



Melilotus gcrmanica. Fuchs. Hint. b27.f. 



M. nobilis. Trag. Hist. 594./. 



Meliloti tertium genus. Fuchs. Ic. 299./. 



/3. Lotus corniculata minor, foliis subtiis incanis. Ddl. in Rail 

 .S//;/.334. 



L. corniculatus g. Fl. Dr. 794. 



In open grassy pastures, common. 



Perennial. June — September. 



Rout branching, somewhat woody ; the fibres beset with small gra- 

 nulations. Stems several, spreading on the ground in every di- 

 rection, varying in length from 3 to 10 inches, simple or branched, 

 solid, filled with pith, angular, leafy, sometimes quite smooth, 

 but for the most part clothed, like the glaucous backs of the /eares, 

 with close-pressed hairs. Leaflets obovate, acute, entire, on 

 .short partial stalks 5 the lateral ones oblique, or inequilateral. 

 Common /oo^7«/A: channelled, about the length of the leaflets, 

 having at its base a pair of ovate stipulas, resembling them, but 

 rather smaller. Flower -stalks axillary, solitary, erect or recum- 

 bent, angular, 5 times as long as the leaves, each bearing from 

 2 or 3 to 5 bright yellow/oiter*^ dark green when dried, in a 

 flat head or umbel, accompanied by a small ternatc leaf. They 

 change to orange in verging towards decay. The standard (not 

 keel,\is by a slip of the pen in Fugl. Dot.) striped with red at the 

 base in front ; its claw much dilated and vaulted. Keel pale 

 yellow. Filaments in their separate i)art all dilated under the 

 anthers. Interstices of the calyx-teeth rounded. Legume smooth, 

 of a shining purplish brown, a little depressed and channelled 

 along the upper side. 

 Recommended for cultivation, though under the erroneous names 

 of Milk-vetch and Astragalus glycyphyllos, by the late worthy 

 Dr. Anderson, in his Agricidtural Essays, as being excellent for 

 fodder, as well as for hay. 



2. L. major. Greater Bircrs-foot-trefoll. 



Heads depressed, many-flowered. Stems erect, liihiiiar. 

 Legumes (Iroopiiii^s cylindrical. Claw of the standard 

 linear. Shorter filaments not tlilateil. 



L. major. Scop. Cam. r. 2. 8(5. Comp. r.d. I. 1 24. Engl. But. r. 30. 



/. 209 1 . I'urt. V. 1 . 342. Forst. Toubr. 8(1. ^'/•^^. Edin. 1 (i3. 

 L. corniculatus y. Fl. Br. 794. 

 Ji. corniculatus /3. Hook. Srof. 22(». 

 L. n.385 a. Halt. Hi.>f.r. I. 1(37 



