116 ELEMENTS OF BOTANY. 



giiiate ; standard orbicular, its sides reflexed, wings about as 

 long as the keel ; stamens 10, distinct ; the pod stipitate, 

 long-pointed by the remains of the style ; plants usually 

 becoming black in drying. 



1. B. LANCEOLATA Ell. Narrow-leaved False Indigo. Stem 

 pubescent when young, becoming smooth with age, 18-21 in. high; 

 leaves trifoliate, on short petioles ; leaflets lanceolate to obovate, 

 obtuse at the apex, narrowed to the base, rather thick ; stipules 

 small and soon deciduous ; flowers yellow, axillary and solitary, or 

 in short racemes ; ovary densely pubescent ; mature legume globose or 

 ovoid, coriaceous, long-pointed ; plant blackening in drying. April- 

 May. Dry pine barrens. 



2. B. TixcTORiA R. Br. Wild Indigo. Stem smooth, slender, 

 2-4 ft. high ; branches slender ; leaves trifoliate, on short petioles, 

 the upper nearly sessile ; stipules minute, quickly deciduous ; leaflets 

 obovate to oblanceolate, obtuse at the apex, cuneate at the base, 

 entire ; racemes numerous, terminal ; flow'ers yellowy ^ in. long ; 

 legume globose-ovoid, on a stipe about the length of the calyx, point 

 long and slender ; plant blackening in drying. May-June. Com- 

 mon on dry, sandy soil. 



3. B. ALBA (L.) R. Br. White Wild Indigo. Stem smooth 

 and glaucous, often purple, 2-3 ft. high ; branches slender, spread- 

 ing ; leaves petioled, trifoliate ; stipules minute, soon deciduous ; 

 flow^ers white, mostly in a single raceme which is 1-3 ft. long, with 

 occasionally lateral, few-flowered racemes ; pod linear-oblong, the 

 point very slender and soon deciduous ; plant unchanged in drying. 

 April-May. In damp soil. 



4. B. AusTRALis (L.) R. Br. Blue False Indigo. Stem 

 smooth and glabrous, stout, 2-4 ft. high ; leaves trifoliate, short- 

 petioled ; stipules lanceolate, persistent, longer than the petioles ; 

 leaflets oblong, wedge-shaped or narrowdy obovate, entire ; flowers 

 bright blue, 1 in. long, in terminal, erect, loosely flowered racemes ; 

 stipe about the length of the calyx ; pod oblong, wdth a slender, 

 persistent point. May-July. Banks of rivers ; often cultivated for 

 ornament. 



II. CROTALARIA. 



Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes with a woody base ; 

 leaves simple ; stipules inversely sagittate and decurrent ; 

 flowers yellow, in few-flowered racemes opposite the leaves ; 

 calyx 5-toothed and often 2-lipped ; standard cordate, keel 

 falcate ; stamens monadelphous, 5 of the anthers smaller 



