62 ENGLISH BOTANY. 
SPECIES XX —_TRIFOLIUM MINUS. Rehlam. 
Puate CCCLXVI. 
Bab. Man. Brit. Bot. ed. v. p. 80. Lowe, Man, Fl. Mad. p. 152. 
T. procumbens, ZZ/uds. Benth. Handbook Brit. Fl. p. 170. Hook, & Arn. Brit. 
Fl. ed. viii. p. 106. Gr. & Godr. Fl. de Fr. Vol. I. p. 423 (non Linn. 
Herb. !). 
T. filiforme, Koch, Syn. Fl. Germ. et Helv. ed. ii. p. 195. ries, Sum. Veg. Scand. 
p. 48 (non Linn. Herb. !’), 
Rootstock none. Stems several, slender, wiry, ascending or 
procumbent, branched. Leaves shortly stalked, generally pin- 
nately trifoliate ; leaflets obovate or oblanceolate, generally truncate 
or notched at the apex, finely denticulate in the upper portion. 
Stipules adnate for less than half their length, half-ovate, rounded 
at the base, the free portion ovate-triangular, abruptly acuminated. 
Flower-heads axillary, on stalks which exceed their own length, 
and are usually longer than the leaves from. which they spring, 
sub-globular, somewhat lax, many- or few-flowered. Flowers on 
pedicels which are nearly as long as the calyx-tube, at length 
reflexed. Calyx-tube bell-shaped; upper teeth triangular, shorter 
than the tube; lower teeth subulate, exceeding it ; all unaltered in 
fruit. Corolla longer than the calyx ; standard broadly oblanceolate, 
slightly enlarged and faintly ribbed in fruit, a little exceeding the 
wings and keel, folded together longitudinally over the pod, keeled 
on the back. Pod as broad as and not much shorter than the 
standard. Style not a quarter the length of the pod. 
In fields, pastures, waste places, and by roadsides. Very 
sulting the Herbarium) to undervalue it as the standard by which nomenclature is to 
be settled ; but when we consider that the species can be determined by observation 
from the Herbarium, and only by inference from imperfect data from the writings of 
an author, there surely ought to be no hesitation in preferring the sure to the uncer- 
tain. It must be kept in view that when an author has confounded species manifestly 
distinct, it is of no consequence what form retains the name he has given to the com- 
posite species, provided that uniformity of nomenclature be attained ; and this is much 
nore likely to be arrived at by referring to a specimen than to a meagre and imperfect 
description, or references (possibly erroneously quoted) to other descriptions as meagre 
and imperfect, or to ill-executed plates. M. Soyer-Willemet goes the length of saying 
that he considers there is confusion in the Linnean Herbarium ; by which I suppose he 
wishes it to be understood that the labels may have been crossed ; but if this be his 
meaning, he cannot be aware that the species are pasted to sheets of paper, and the 
name written on the sheet itself by Linnzeus’ own hand. 
