256 



Jtnot-grass, very smooth, of a pale green colour, on short foot-stalks. 

 Under these come out thorns, near an inch long, of a reddish brown 

 colour. The flowers come out from the side of the branches in small 

 clusters, are-ef a purple colour in the middle, and reddish about the 

 rims. It is a native of the Levant. 



The second species is an upright plant, and mostly smooth: the 

 stem streaked and angular: the leaflets are lanceolate: the stipules 

 awl-shaped. It is perennial, and a native of Virginia, &c. flowering 

 in July and August. 



The third has a branching perennial root (biennial, annual): the 

 stem shrubby, three feet high, wand-like, upright, very smooth, 

 round, without knots: the leaves are alternate, petioled, hanging 

 down or spreading, often vertical, sometimes simple, but usually 

 ternate, especially in adult plants: the middle leaflet lanceolate, long, 

 flat, quite entire, very smooth, veined; the side ones very small, and 

 seeming rather to be append icles than leaflets; they are on short 

 petioles, which are remarkable for a motion peculiar to them. The 

 flowers many and nodding. It is a native of Bengal. 



The fourth species has a biennial root: the stems from two to 

 three feet high, hollow, smooth, and branching: the leaves are com- 

 posed of five or six pairs of oval leaflets, terminated by an odd one : 

 they are alternate, and from the angles which they form with the 

 stem and branches, peduncles come out five or six inches in length, 

 sustaining spikes of beautiful red flowers, which open in June and 

 July, and perfect seeds in September. It is a native of Spain, &c. 



There is a variety with white flowers. 



The fifth species is annual, and has some resemblance to the 

 foregoing, but is much smaller: the stalks rise near a foot high, and 

 the leaves are composed of two or three pairs of ovate leaflets, ter- 

 minated by an odd one: the flowers come out in spikes at the top 

 of the stalks, and are of a pale red, intermixed with a little blue. 

 They appear in July, and are succeeded by jointed pods. It is a 

 native of the Levant. 



The sixth has a perennial root: the stems half a foot in length, 

 usually with one branch and leaf only: the leaflets obovate-oblong, 



