390 SALAD PLANTS. 



WORMS. 



Astragalus hamosus. 



A hardy, annual plant, indigenous to the south of Europe. 

 Stem ten or twelve inches long, recumbent ; leaves pinnate, 

 with ten or twelve pairs of small leaflets ; flowers yellow, 

 produced five or six together at the extremity of quite a long 

 stem, or peduncle ; the seed-pods are about two inches long, 

 nearly a fourth of an inch thick, peculiarly bent or curved, 

 and contain ten or twelve brown seeds. 



There is but one species or variety cultivated. 



Sowing and Culture. The plants may be started by sow- 

 ing the seeds in a hot-bed in March, or the seeds may be 

 sown in the open ground in May. They are cultivated in 

 rows fourteen inches apart, and ten or twelve inches apart 

 in the rows, and are also grown in groups, or hills, three or 

 four together. The plants blossom in July, and the pods 

 attain their growth in August and September. 



Use. The pods, in their green state, much resemble some 

 descriptions of worms, and, like Caterpillars (Scorpiurus) 

 and Snails (Medicago), are sometimes placed on dishes of 

 salad to excite curiosity, or for pleasantly surprising the 

 guests at table. Though inoffensive, they are seldom eaten. 



