174 LEGUMINOS^ 



11. OXYTROPIS. — Stamens in 2 sets, 9 and 1 ; keel of the corolla pointed ; 

 legume more or less perfectly 2-celled. Name from the Greek ox.ys, sharp, 

 and tropis, a keel. 



12. Milk- Vetch (Astragalus). — Stamens in 2 sets, 9 and 1 ; keel of the 

 corolla blunt ; legume more or less perfectly 2-celled. Name from the 

 Greek astrdgalos, a pastern bone, from the knotted form of the root of one 

 of the species. 



Group II. The Vetch Group (Ficiece). 



Legume not jointed ; stamens in 2 sets, 9 and 1 ; leaves pinnate, ter- 

 minating in a tendril, or short point. 



13. Vetch (Ficia). — Calyx 5-cleft; style thread-like, with a small tuft 

 of down beneath the stigma ; leaves with tendrils. Name from the Celtic 

 gwig. 



14. Vetchling (Ldthyrus). — Calyx 5-cleft ; style flattened on the upper 

 side, downy beneath the stigma; leaves with tendrils, except in Lafhyrus 

 nissolia. Name from the Greek lafhyros, a plant so called. 



15. Bitter- Vetch (Orohus). — Calyx 5-cleft, swollen at the base, oblique 

 at the mouth, its upper segments deeper and shorter ; style flattened on 

 the upper side, downy beneath the stigma ; leaves ending in a short point. 

 Name from the Greek mv, to stimulate, and bous, an ox, from its nutritious 

 properties. 



Group III. The Joint- Vetch Group {Hedysarem). 



Legume divided into 1 -seeded joints, or cells ; leaves pinnate, with an 

 odd leaflet. 



* Flowers simple, in umbels. 



16. Bird's-foot (Orniihopus) — Legume curved, divided into many equal- 

 sided joints, each of which contains a seed ; keel small, obtuse. Name from 

 the Greek amis, a bird, and pous, a foot, from the form of the seed-vessel. 



17. Joint- Vetch (Arthroldbium). — Calyx tubular; keel small, blunt; 

 legume curved, jointed. Name from arthros, a joint, and lobos, a pod, from 

 its jointed seed-vessels. 



18. Horseshoe- Vetch {Hippocripis). — Legume composed of numerous 

 crescent-shaped joints, so that each legume looks like a series of horseshoes. 

 Name from the Greek hippos, a horse, and crepis, a shoe. 



* * Flowers in racemes. 



19. Saintfoin {Ondbi'ychis). — Legume straight, 1-celled, 1-seeded, not 

 opening, the lower edge fringed, or winged. Name from the Greek onos, an 

 ass, and brycho, to bray, from the notion that its scent excites braying. 



1. Furze (Ulex). 



1. Common Furze, Gorse, or Whin(i7. europSus). — Calyx somewhat 

 hairy, with slightly spreading hairs ; bracts large, egg-shaped, not adhering 

 closely to the calyx ; wings longer than the keel ; leaves few and narrow. 

 Plant perennial. To those who often wander over the heath-lands of 

 England no description of the prickly Furze is needed ; but it is not so 

 common in all parts of the United Kingdom, large heathy tracts in the 



