98 LEGUMINOS.E. (PULSE FAMILY.) 



2. M. denticulata, Willd. Stems prostrate; leaflets obovate or obcor- 

 date, denticulate; stipules ciliate-toothed ; spikes 2 - 5-flowered, the flowers 

 purplish ; legume flat, coiled, the thin margin fringed with a douhle row of 

 curved hooked bristles. Waste ground. Introduced. 



3. M. maculata, Willd. Like the preceding, but the leaflets mostly 

 purplish in the centre, the stipules more strongly toothed, and the margins 

 of the legume thicker. New Orleans. Introduced. 



4. MELILOTUS, Touru. MELILOT, SWEET CLOVER. 



Calvx 5-toothed ; the teeth long and equal. Corolla deciduous. Wings 

 and keel cohering. Stamens diadelphous (9 & 1). Legume ovoid, cori- 

 aceous, veiny or rugose, longer than the calyx, 1 - 4-seeded, scarcely dehiscent. 

 Smooth herbs. Leaves trifoliolate. Leaflets often toothed. Stipules ad- 

 uate to the petioles. Flowers yellow or white, in axillary racemes. 



1. M. officinalis, Willd. Stem erect, branching; leaflets obovate-ob- 

 long, toothed ; flowers yellow; vexillum striped with brown, as long as the 

 keel and wings ; legume obovate, rugose. Cultivated ground. Introduced. 

 (D and @ Stems 1 - 3 high. Legumes drooping, 2-seeded. 



2. M. alba, Lam. Stem erect, branching ; leaflets oblong, truncate, ser- 

 rate ; racemes elongated ; flowers white ; vexillum longer than the wings 

 and keel; legumes ovate, rugose, 1-seeded. Cultivated grounds. Intro- 

 duced. (T) Legumes drooping. 



3. M. parviflora, Desf. Annual; stems ascending; leaflets of the 

 lower leaves roundish entire, of the upper oblong, denticulate ; flowers very 

 small, densely spiked, yellow; legume ovate, rugose, 1-seeded. Waste 

 ground. Introduced. 



5. TRIFOLIUM, L. CLOVER. 



Calyx 5-cleft ; the teeth subulate or setaceous. Corolla withering or per- 

 sistent ; the keel shorter than the wings, and united with them by their claws. 

 Stamens diadelphous (9 & 1 ). Legume smooth, membranaceous, 1 - 6-seeded, 

 often shorter than the calvx, scarcely dehiscent. Tufted or diffuse herbs. 

 Leaves trifoliolate, the leaflets mostly toothed. Stipules adnate to the peti- 

 oles. Flowers (in our species) capitate. 



* Fruiting calyx erect. 



1. T. pratense, L. (BED CLOVER.) Hairy; stems erect; leaflets ob- 

 long-ovate or oval, often emarginate, slightly serrulate ; heads large, ovate ; 

 calyx teeth setaceous, hairy; flowers purple. Around dwellings. Exten- 

 sively cultivated, but scarcely naturali/ed, at least in the low country. 

 Stems l-2 high. Leaves usually marked with a pale 3-angled spot above. 



2. T. arvense, L. (RABBIT-FOOT CLOVER.) Softly pubescent; stems 

 erect ; leaflets linear-oblong, minutely 3-toothed ; heads oblong ; calyx teeth 

 setaceous, plumose ; corolla white, with a purple spot on the wings. Old 

 fields, chiefly in the upper districts. Introduced. (I) Stems 8' -12' 

 high. 



