MIDDLESEX FLORA. 25 



flowers yellow, a line long, nearly sessile. Native of the Mediter- 

 ranean region, now widely naturalized in warm countries, and 

 common in California. Cattle are fond of it." Bot. Cal. 



M. OFFICINALIS, Willd. YELLOW MELILOT. 



Groton, Cambridge, Maiden, et al. Occasional in waste grounds. 

 June-Sept. Nat. from Eu. 



M. ALBA, Lam. SWEET CLOVER. WHITE MELILOT. 

 Maiden, Medfbrd, Westford, et al. Sometimes found growing in 

 dense patches in out of the way places, apparently well established, 

 June-Sept. Nat. from Eu. 



MEDICAGO, L. 



M. sativa, L. LUCERNE. ALFALFA. 



Cambridge, spontaneous in vegetable gardens ; Maiden, spreading 

 beyond garden limits (Sylvester Baxter) . This plant has a tendency 

 to die out when cultivation ceases, and can scarcely be said to have 

 effected a settlement. July-Aug. Int. from Eu. 



M. LUPULINA, L. BLACK MEDICK. NONESUCH. 



Common in the eastern part of the county. June-Sept. Nat. 

 from Eu. 



M. maculata, Willd. SPOTTED MEDICK. 



Lowell, woollen-mill yards; Chelmsford, in a field dressed with 

 wool-waste (Dr. C. W. Swan) ; Somerville (C. E. Perkins) ; N". 

 Chelmsford, wool-waste (Rev. W. P. Alcott). This was erro- 

 neously given as M. denticulata in Mr. Alcott's list. Adv. from Eu. 



M. denticulata, Willd. 



Lowell, Billerica, and Dracut, woollen-mill yards ; the commonest 

 Medick of the mill yard, except possibly M. lupulina (Dr. C. W. 

 Swan). Adv. from Eu. 



M. lappacea, Lam. 



Westford, wool-waste (Dr. C. W. Swan). Adv. from Eu. 

 "Smoothish; stems procumbent ; leaflets obcordate, dentate; stip- 

 ules ciliate-dentate ; peduncles 3-5 flowered ; pods spiral, smooth, 

 of three whorls, obliquely flexuous-nerved, margins aculeate, spines 

 long, hooked; seeds reniform, subtruncate, yellow." DC. Prodr. 

 II. 177. 



M. laciniata, All. 



Lowell, " dumps " (Dr. C. W. Swan). Adv. from Eu. 

 " Stem erect ; leaflets linear, incised-dentate, truncate ; stipules 

 ciliate-dentate ; peduncles 1-2-flowered ; pods spiral, sub-globose, 

 very spiny, spines erect, subulate, hooked, compressed-canaliculate ; 

 margin thick, not sulcate nor zoned; seeds oblong-reniform." 

 DC. Prodr. II. 180. 



