LEGUMINOS7E. LXVIII. POCOCKIA. LXIX. MELILOTUS. 



177 



ovate-oblong, compressed, wrinkled from dots ; radicle rather 

 prominent. Q. H. Native of Candia and Barbary. Trifo- 

 lium Melilotus Cretica, Lin. spec. 1078. Melilotus Cretica, 

 Desf. fl. all. 2. p. 192. Moris, hist. sect. 2. t. 14. f. 3. Flowers 

 yellow. 



Cretan Pocockia. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1713. PL 1 foot. 



Cull. The seeds of this plant only require to be sown in the 

 open border about the beginning of April. 



LXIX. MELILOTUS (from mel, honey, and lotus ; honey 

 Lotus. The plants are similar to the Lotus, and are the favourite 

 resort of bees). Tourn. inst. 406. t. 229. Juss. gen. 356. Lam. 

 ill. t. 613. D. C. prod. 2. p. 186. Trifolium spec. Lin. 



LIN. SYST. Diculelphia, Decdndria. Calyx tubular, 5-toothed. 

 Carina simple ; wings shorter than the vexillum. Legume 

 longer than the calyx, coriaceous, one or many-seeded, hardly 

 dehiscent, of various forms. Herbs. Stipulas adnate to the 

 petiole. Leaves trifoliate ; leaflets usually toothed. Flowers 

 disposed in loose racemes, yellow, rarely white. 



SECT. I. CcELORU v ris (from KoiXoe, koilos, channelled, depres- 

 sed, and puns, rutis, a wrinkle ; in reference to the surface of the 

 legumes). Ser. mss. in D. C. prod. 2. p. 186. Legume 

 wrinkled from lacunae. 



1 M. KOCHIA'NA (Willd. enmn. 790.) stem ascending ; leaf- 

 lets linear-oblong, denticulated ; stipulas toothed ; teeth of calyx 

 equalling the tube in length ; vexillum longer than the carina ; 

 legume 1-2- seeded, wrinkled somewhat transversely from la- 

 cunae, ovate, acute, compressed, length of style ; seeds egg- 

 shaped, bay-coloured, and somewhat compressed. $ . H. Native 

 of Germany and France. D. C. fl. fr. 5. p. 564. Trifolium 

 Kochianum, Hayne in Schrad. neue journ. 2. p. 336. M. diffusa, 

 Koch. diss. ined. Flowers yellow. 



Koch's Melilot. Fl. June, Sept. Clt. 1816. PI. 2 to 3 feet. 



2 M. DENTA'TA (Willd. enum. 790.) stems erect, firm ; leaflets 

 oblong, denticulated ; stipulas laciniated ; teeth of calyx equal- 

 ling' the tube in length ; vexillum longer than the keel ; legumes 

 dense, black when mature, 1 -2-seeded, obovate, obtuse, com- 

 pressed, irregularly and finely wrinkled from lacunae, with the 

 seminiferous margin gibbous ; style short ; seeds irregularly cor- 

 date, of a bay colour ; radicle very prominent. $ . H. Native 

 of Hungary. Trifolium dentatum, Waldst. et Kit. pi. hung. 1. 

 p. 41. t. 42. Sturm, deutschl. fl. 1. fasc. 15. M. procumbens, 

 Hort. prag. ex W.Gerhard in litt. 1824. but not of Besser. 

 The plant has the fruit of M. officinalis, and the flowers of M. 

 parvijlora. 



Far. ft, angustifblia (Wallr. sched. crit. 1. p. 394.) leaflets 

 linear. 



Tooi/ierf-leafletted Melilot. Fl.Ju.Aug. Clt. 1802. PI. 3 to 4 ft. 



3 M. LINE A'RIS (Cav. ex Pers. ench. 2. p. 348.) stem erect, 

 angular ; leaflets linear-oblong, nearly entire ; stipulas linear, 

 hardly toothed at the base ; teeth of calyx unequal, about equal in 

 length to the tube ; vexillum length of carina ; legume 2-seeded, 

 wrinkled reticulately, ovate-orbicular; style short; seeds un- 

 equally cordate, bay-coloured. O- H. Native of Spain. 

 Flowers yellow. This species comes near to M. dentata, but 

 differs in the leaflets being obovate-linear, and in the flowers 

 being larger. 



iincar-leafletted Melilot. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1820. PI. 2 ft. 



4 M. RUTHE'NICA (Bieb. fl. taur. suppl. p. 506. in a note,) 

 stem erect, angular ; leaflets cuneiform, remotely-serrated ; sti- 

 pulas setaceous ; legumes ovate, compressed, wrinkled reticu- 

 lately, 1 -seeded; racemes elongated, loose; young legumes 

 densely reticulated ; seeds testaceous. $ . H. Native of Rus- 

 sia, about the colony of Sarepta. M. Wolgica, Poir. suppl. 3. 

 p. 648. ex herb. Desf. Flowers white. Legume like that of 

 M. macrorlriza. 



VOL. II. 



Russian Melilot. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1820. PI. 2 to 4 feet. 



5 M. MELANOSPE'RMA (Besser in litt. 1824.) stem firm, un- 

 equally furrowed ; racemes numerous, twiggy, very long, as- 

 cending ; leaflets oblong, denticulated ; legumes ovate, lacunose> 

 black ; seeds ovate, not cordate or compressed, black, rugged 

 from dots. $ , H. Native of Tauria. Flowers yellow like 

 those of M. officinalis. 



Black-seeded Melilot. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1819. PI. 3 to 4 ft. 



6 M. OFFICINA'LIS (Willd. enum. p. 790.) stem erect, 

 branched ; branches spreading much ; leaflets obovate-ob- 

 long, obtuse, remotely-serrated ; stipulas setaceous ; teeth of 

 calyx unequal, length of tube ; vexillum striated with brown ; 

 wings equal in length to the keel ; legume 2-seeded, obovate, 

 acute, and transversely wrinkled, rather pilose, at length 

 blackish, and rather gibbous ; style filiform, length of legume ; 

 seeds unequally cordate. $ . H. Native of Europe. In Bri- 

 tain in thickets and hedges, and the borders of fields. Trifolium 

 Melilotus officinalis, a, Lin. spec. 1078. Oed. fl. dan. 934. 

 Sturm, deutsch. fl. 1. fasc. 15. var. a. Trifolium officinale, 

 Smith, fl. brit. 781. engl. bot. 1346. Flowers yellow. Fruit 

 nearly like that of M. dentata, but the flowers are much larger. 

 The flowers and seeds of this plant are the chief ingredients in 

 flavouring the Gruyere cheese. This cheese no doubt owes its 

 excellence to the mixture of herbs in the mountain pasturage, 

 which surrounds the valley of Gruyere in Switzerland, but more 

 particularly to the flowers and seeds of this plant, which are 

 bruised and mixed with the curd before it is pressed. The 

 whole plant has a peculiar scent, which becomes more fragrant 

 in a dry state, then having some resemblance to that of Antho- 

 xanlhwn. The flowers are sweet-scented ; a water distilled from 

 them possesses little odour in itself, but improves the flavour of 

 other substances. In medicine it was esteemed emollient and 

 digestive, and was used in fomentations and cataplasms, particu- 

 larly in blister plaisters, but it is now laid aside as being rather 

 acrid than emollient. Notwithstanding the strong smell of the 

 plant, and its bitter acrid taste, it does not appear to be disagree- 

 able to any kind of cattle ; and horses are said to be extremely 

 fond of it ; hence the plant is called by some Italian writers Tri- 

 folium caballinmn. Ray affirms that it was formerly sown in 



England for the food of kine and horses ; but at present it is not 

 cultivated with us. 



Far. ft, unguiculata (Ser. mss. in D. C. prod. 2. p. 187.) 

 legumes elongated, sterile ones claw-formed, pedicellate. $ . H. 

 Native about Bern and Geneva. 



Officinal or Common Melilot. Fl. July, Sept. Britain. PI . 

 3 to 6 feet. 



7 M. PALU'STRIS (Kit. in litt. 1815.) stems branched, erect; 

 leaflets oblong-linear, obsoletely-toothed ; stipulas linear-seta- 

 ceous ; teeth of calyx unequal, length of tube ; vexillum longer 

 than the wings and keel : legume 1 -seeded, ovate, a little winged, 

 rugged from lacunae, of a brownish-black colour ; seeds irre- 

 gularly cordate, bay-coloured. $ . H. Native of Hungary, 

 growing among Arimdo phragmitis. Trifolium Melilotus pa- 

 lustre, Waldst. et Kit. pi. rar. hung. 3. p. 295. t. 266. Very 

 nearly allied to M. officinalis, and perhaps distinct. Flowers 

 yellow. 



Marsh Melilot. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1820. PI. 2 to 4 feet. 



8 M. ARBOREA (Castagne in litt. D. C. prod. 2. p. 187.) 

 stems arboreous ; leaflets ovate-oblong, sharply-toothed ; stipulas 

 setaceous, entire ; flowers disposed in long racemes ; teeth of 

 calyx acute, length of tube ; keel and wings shorter than the 

 vexillum. fj . G. Cultivated about Constantinople, where it 

 grows 15 feet high, and with a trunk about 3 inches in diameter. 

 Flowers white. 



Tree Melilot. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1826. Shrub 15 feet. 



9 M. ALTI'SSIMA (Thuill. fl. par. ed. 2. p. 378 and 83.) stem 

 A a 



