BUSH VETCH AND SWEET-SCENTED VERNAL GRASS. 95 



weak, and needing- the support of other plants to some 

 extent, though, unlike many of the pea-flowers, the whole 

 plant does not climb or cling- round them for support, 

 as it merely uses its tendrils to steady it amidst its 

 surroundings. The leaves are composed of from four 

 to eight pairs of leaflets, the central stalk upon which 

 they are borne not being furnished, as in the ash and many 

 other plants, with a terminal leaflet, but elongated into a 

 tendril, ordinarily, though not invariably, branching out 

 laterally into other tendrils. The flowers, two to six in 

 a cluster, are given off at the axils of the leaves, the stems 

 being very short, and scarcely noticeable on a casual glance. 

 The flowers are, as they die off, succeeded by the seed-pods, 

 bright green in colour, and about an inch in length. 



The sweet-scented vernal grass may very legitimately 

 be introduced in the background, as it is amidst the various 

 grasses of the hedgerow that the bush- vetch may be freely 

 found, since they supply numerous points of attachment 

 for the hold of the tendrils, and are strong enough to 

 give support without depriving the plant of its due share 

 of air and light. The sweet-scented vernal grass comes into 

 blossom about the middle of April, when its large anthers, 

 as shown in our illustration, render it more noticeable 

 than would otherwise be the case. It is ordinarily 

 abundant in pastures and meadows, and contributes largely 

 to the fragrance of the new-made hay, as it gives off in 

 drying a delicate scent not unlike the wood-ruff ; its 

 specific name clearly points to this quality, while the 

 generic name is compounded of two Greek words, signi- 

 fying yellow flower, from the colour of its spikes when the 

 plant has reached maturity. It is the Anthoxanthum odo- 

 ratum of .botanical nomenclature. 



