130 



LEGDMINOS^E. 



LECUMINOS/E. 



Character of the Order. Herbs, shrubs, or trees, with alternate, stipu- 

 late, generally compound leaves. Flowers papilionaceous, sometimes regu- 

 lar ; calyx 5-parted, the odd segment inferior ; petals 5, the odd one supe- 

 rior ; stamens 10, rarely 5 or indefinite, monadelphous or diadelphous, 

 sometimes distinct, commonly perigyuous ; ovary simple, 1-celled, 1- to- 

 many-ovuled. Fruit a 1- to many-seeded legume. 



A very large order of plants, occurring in all parts of the globe, but most 

 abundantly in the tropics. It has been divided into three sub-orders, 

 namely, Papilionacece, Ccesalpiniece,an<lMimosece. To the first-named sub- 

 order belong nearly all important leguminous plants of temperate regions, 

 and, with the single exception of Cassia .belonging to the sub-order 

 Ccesalpiniece all North American species of medicinal importance. 



PAPILIONACE^E. 



Character of the Sub-Order. Flowers papilionaceous ; sepals 5, more or 

 less united, often unequally so ; petals 5, irregular, imbricate, the upper 

 one larger than the others and usually enclosing them in the bud ; stamens- 



10, rarely 5, inserted with the petals, mona- 

 delphous, diadelphous, or sometimes dis- 

 tinct ; when diadelphous, usually with nine 

 in one set and one in the other. Ovary nor- 

 mally 1-celled, sometimes becoming 2-celled, 

 or transversely many-celled by development 

 of partitions after flowering. Flowers per- 

 fect, solitary and axillary, or in spikes, ra- 

 cemes, or panicles. 



MELILOTUS. MELILOT. 



Character of the Genus. Calyx 5-toothed, 

 Corolla : petals free from the stamen-tube, 

 deciduous, the keel blunt. Stamens dia- 

 delphous, the upper one free. Pods short, 

 straight, thick, 1- or few- seeded, indehiscent. 



Annual or biennial herbs, with trifoliate 

 leaves, and flowers in spiked racemes. 



Meli lotus officinalis Willdenow. 

 Yellow Melilot. 



no. iso.-Mciiiotus officinalis. Da^p*wn.-Mowe numerous, 2 to 3 



lines long, bright yellow, in long axillary ra- 

 cemes. Pod oval, 2 lines long, obtuse or pointed. 



An erect annual or biennial, 2 to 4 feet high, branched, glabrous. Leaves 



