LEGUMINOSjE. CXXX. OXYTROPIS. 



249 



Trifoliate-leaved Bastard Vetch. PI. procumbent. 



Cult. Most of the species grow well in the open borders in 

 common garden soil ; the dwaric-r kinds are well adapted for 

 ornamenting rock-work, but the rarer and more tender species 

 should be grown in pots in a mixture of sand, peat, and loam. 

 They are all increased by dividing the plants at the root, or by 

 seeds, which generally ripen in this country, which last is by far 

 the best method. The seeds of the annual kinds only require 

 to be sown in the open border in spring. 



CXXX. OXY'TROPIS (from o&c, oxys, sharp, and Tpomc, 

 tropis, a keel ; in reference to the keel of the flower ending 

 in an exserted mucrone on the back at the apex). D. C. astr. 

 no, 4. ed. maj. p. 19. and 53. prod. 2. p. 275. Astragalus 

 species of Lin. and others. 



LIN. SVST. Diadclphia, Dniimlrla. Calyx 5-toothed (f. 40. 

 .). Keel of corolla ending in an exserted mucrone on the back 

 at the apex (f. 40. b.). Stamens diadelphous. Legume (f. 40. 

 c.), bilocular, or half bilocular in consequence of the upper 

 suture being bent in so much. Herbs with impari-pinnate leaves, 

 axillary or radical peduncles, bearing spikes of flowers. There 

 are a number of species with inflated legumes, which would 

 constitute a good section of the genus, but from the fruit of 

 most of the species being but slightly known or altogether un- 

 known, it is at present impossible to separate them, and con- 

 sequently they are here arranged according to habit. 



1 . Acaulis (from acaulis, stemless ; in reference to the 

 species contained in this divis ; on being without stems). D. C, 

 prod. 2. p. 275. Plants without stems or with very short ones. 

 Stipulas adnate to the petiole. Leaves with many opposite pairs 

 of leaflets, not verticillate. 



* Planters purplish or white. 



1 O. MONTA'NA (D. C. astr. no. 1.) plant almost stemless, 

 villous, the hairs on the petioles and scape spreading ; leaflets 

 elliptic-lanceolate ; scapes a little longer than the leaves ; ra- 

 cemes short ; bracteas one half shorter than the calyxes; legumes 

 erect, terete-oblong, villous, acuminated by the style, half bilo- 

 cular. 1/.H. Native of Europe, on the mountains. Astra- 

 galus montanus, Lin. spec. 1070. Jacq. austr. t. 167. Curt, 

 bot. mag. 483. Scop. earn. t. 45. Phaca montana, Crantz. 

 austr. 422. Flowers of a bluish-purple colour, almost like those 

 of Phaca astragallna. Calyx purplish. 



Mountain Oxytropis. Fl. July, Aug, Clt. 1581. PI. | ft. 



2 O. BOREA'LIS (D. C. prod. 2. p. 275.) plant almost stem- 

 less, the hairs on the scapes and stipulas spreading and stiff, on 

 the petioles there are but few ; leaflets elliptic-lanceolate, gla- 

 brous beneath and pilose above ; scapes length of leaves ; flowers 

 capitate ; bracteas length of calyx, which is beset with black 

 stiff hairs. 7.H. Native of Tschuktschor Land, in the Bay 

 of St. Lawrence, and Kotzebne's Sound. Stipulas pale. 



Northern Mountain Milk-vetch. PI. \ foot. 



3 O. CYAN/E V A (Bieb. fl. taur. suppl. 502.) plant almost stem- 

 less, hoary, and pilose; the hairs on the petioles and scapes are 

 adpressed ; leaflets elliptic-lanceolate ; scapes longer than the 

 leaves ; racemes short ; bracteas one-half shorter than the 

 calyxes ; legumes oblong, ovate, villous, at length spreading. 

 7{.H. Native of Iberia. Astragalus montanus, Bieb. fl. taur. 

 2. p. 197. exclusive of the synonymes. O. montana, Stev. mem. 

 soc. mosc. 4. p. 54. Flowers spreading, blue, larger than those 

 of 0. montana, and the keel ending in a longer mucrone. 



Far. ft, Albana (Stev. 1. c.) scapes declinate ; legumes ovate, 

 pubescent. "H.. H. Native of the alps about Chinalug. 



Azure-flowered Mountain Milk-vetch. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 

 1818. PI. I foot. 



4 O. ARGYH.E A (D. C. prod. 2. p. 276.) plant almost stem- 



VOL. II. 



less ; stipulas white, membranous, hairy ; leaflets elliptic-oHong, 

 clothed with adpressed, silky, silvery down on both surfaces ; 

 petioles, scapes, and calyxes beset with spreading villi ; scapes 

 twice the length of the leaves ; flowers erect, disposed in capi- 

 tate spikes ; bracteas linear, length of calyx. 1. H. Native 

 of the Altaian mountains. Flowers deep-purple. Legumes un- 

 known. 



Silvery Mountain Milk- Vetch. PI. 1 foot. 



5 O. URALE'NSIS (D. C. prod. 2. p. Z7G.) plant stemless, 

 clothed with silky hairs in every part ; leaflets ovate, acute ; 

 scapes solitary or twin, longer than the leaves ; calyx clothed 

 with silky down, as well as the leaflets ; heads of flowers round 

 and dense ; bracteas oblong, one to each flower ; legumes ob- 

 long, tumid, pointed, shaggy, erect, bilocular. If.. H. Native 

 of Siberia, on the Ural Mountains, Alps of Austria, Pyrenees, 

 &c. In Scotland on mountains in sandy soil ; plentiful near 

 Burnt Island in Fifeshire. Astragalus Uralensis, Lin. spec. 1071. 

 Smith, engl. bot. t. 466. Jacq. misc. 1. p. 150. Light, fl. scot. 

 401. t. 17. Pall, astrag. t. 42. f. A. Phaca Uralensis, Wahl. 

 carp. 737. Flowers of a rich bluish-purple colour, rarely white. 

 This is an elegant plant. The Siberian plant is more villous 

 than silky ; it may perhaps be a distinct species. The plant is 

 also a native of Arctic America. 



Ural Mountain Milk- Vetch. Fl. July, Scotland. PI. | foot. 



6 O. COSRU'LEA (D. C. astr. no. 2.) plant stemless and silky ; 

 leaflets lanceolate ; scapes nearly twice the length of the leaves ; 

 flowers spicate, lower ones drooping a little ; legumes ovate, 

 ventricose, almost 1 -celled, acuminated, glabrous. 3. H. Na- 

 tive of Siberia, on high mountains about Lake Baikal. Astra- 

 galus cceruleus, Pall. itin. 3. p. 293. Astr. Baicalensis, Pall, 

 astrag. p. 64. t. 52. Gmel. sib. 4. t. 26. f. 2. Flowers blue. 

 Mucrone of keel equal in length to the wings. 



Z?/e-flowered Mountain Milk- Vetch. PI. i foot. 



7 O. A'RCTICA (R. Br. chl. melv. p. 20.) plant almost stemless, 

 silky ; leaflets opposite and alternate, ovate-oblong ; heads sub- 

 umbellate, few-flowered ; legumes erect, oblong, and are, as well 

 as the calyxes, clothed with black pubescence. If. . H. Native 

 of Melville Island in the Arctic sea, &c. This species approaches 

 O. Uralensis, but the leaflets are smaller, acute or obtuse, and 

 much more numerous, and the flowers are disposed in umbels, 

 not in spikes. 



Arctic Mountain Milk-Vetch. PI. ^ foot. 



8 O. LEUCA'NTHA (Pers. ench. 2. p. 331.) plant stemless and 

 glabrous ; leaflets lanceolate ; scapes hardly longer than the 

 leaves, rather pilose ; spikes almost globose ; bracteas shorter 

 than the calyx ; the 2 upper teeth of the calyx shorter, and more 

 distant than the rest. T. H. Native of Eastern Siberia, among 

 rocks. Flowers white, but according to Pallas's figure they are 

 reddish. Legume unknown. 



White-Jlonered Mountain Milk-Vetch. PI. \ foot. 



9 O. AHGENTA'TA (Pers. ench. 2. p. 331.) plant almost stem- 

 less ; leaflets lanceolate, silvery white on both surfaces ; scapes 

 hoary-pubescent, hardly longer than the leaves. 2/ . H. Native 

 of Siberia, in the Kirghisean Steppe. Astragalus argentatus, 

 Pall. astr. p. 60. t. 48. Flowers white, but with a tinge of blue. 

 Legume unknown. 



Silvered Mountain Milk- Vetch. PI. -| foot. 



10 O. AMBI'GUA (D. C. astr. no. 4.) plant stemless and hairy 

 or smoothish ; leaflets ovate, with rather villous margins ; scapes 

 longer than the leaves ; spikes of flowers oblong ; bracteas lan- 

 ceolate, and are, as well as the calyxes, hairy ; legumes erect, 

 ovate, acuminated, somewhat bilocular. "H . H. Native through- 

 out Siberia. Astragalus ambiguus, Pall. astr. p. 54. t. 43. 

 Gmel. sib. 4. t. 30. Flowers purplish-blue. 



Ambiguous Mountain Milk- Vetch. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1817. 

 PI. | foot. 

 Kk 



