DIADELPH1A. 



183 



GENUS Indigofera. Indigo plant. Name from Indigo, tlie 

 color, and fcro, to bear, a plant bearing Indigo. There are 

 many species of this genus, mostly natives of the Cape of 

 Good Hope, and several of them capable of yielding the blue 

 dye. The species grow from one to four feet high, and are 

 elegant little shrubs, with pinnate leaves, and purple, or pink 

 flowers. Indigo is one of the most profitable articles of cul- 

 ture in Hindostan. It is cultivated to some extent in the 

 West Indies. The seeds are sown in drills, and the plants 

 are cut before the flower. The coloring matter is obtained 

 by steeping the green plants in water, to which it is imparted 

 in the form of fecula, and which subsides to the bottom of the 

 vessel. The water being strained through cloth bags, the 

 Indigo is retained in the form of paste, and is then placed in 

 shallow boxes, and suffered to dry in the shade. Before it is 

 perfectly dry, it is cut into small pieces an inch square, and 

 then being made perfectly dry, it is packed in skins, or boxes, 

 for sale. Indigo is a precarious crop, on account of its be 

 ingf liable to destruction by hail storms. 



* Fig. 190. 



The figure, 190, represents the Indi- 

 gofera tinctoria, the species which is 

 cultivated in India. Leaves pinnate, of 

 four pairs ; spikes, or racemes axillary. 



GENUS Trifolium. Trefoil. Name, from tres, three, and 

 (olium, a leaf, a plant with three leaves. Common Clover, 

 (Trifolium pratense,) is a familiar example. Of this genus 

 there are 140 or 150 species, nearly every country having 

 one or two native kinds. The Red and White Clover are 

 not excelled by any species of grass, for hay, or pasture. 



GENUS Medicago. Medick. The name appears to come 

 from the circumstance that this plant was a native of Media, 

 whence it is said to have been carried to Greece, during the 

 expedition of Darius. This is a large genus, and contains 

 several odd and curious specimens, and one or two which is 

 cultivated as fodder for cattle. Most of these plants run, or 



What is said of the Indigo plant, and the mode of procuring the Indigo ? 

 How is Indigo prepared ? What common grass belongs to the genus Tri 

 olium ? What is stated about the genus Medicago 1 



