276 



LEGUMINOS.E. CXXXVI. ASTROLOBIUM. CXXXVII. ORNITHOPUS. CXXXVIII. HIPPOCREPIS. 



posed of numerous 1-seeded, indehiscent, cylindrical joints, 

 which are truncate at both ends. Smooth European herbs, with 

 impari-pinnate leaves. Stipulas wanting or very small, when 

 present they are joined in one, opposite the leaves, and therefore 

 bidentate at the apex. Flowers yellow, capitate, destitute of 

 the bractea to the head of the flowers. 



1 A. EBRACTEA'TUM (D. C. prod. 2. p. 311.) peduncles about 

 equal in length to the leaves, bractless at the apex ; leaves all 

 pinnate ; leaflets elliptic-oblong, many-pairs, ecpjal in size and 

 shape, lower ones distant from the stem ; legumes terete, arched. 

 Q. H. Native of Portugal, Spain, south of France, and Italy, 

 in gravelly places. Ornithopus Isevigatus, Smith in Rees' cycl. 

 no. 3. Ornith. exstipulatus, Thore, chl. land. 311. O. ebrac- 

 te&tus, Brot. fl. Ins. 2. p. 159. Scorpiurus pinnatus, Mill. diet. 

 no. 5. ? O. nudiflorus, Lag. varied, esp. 2. p. 40. O. durus, 

 D. C. fl. fr. no. 4039. but not of Cav. O. pygmae'us, Viv. 

 Dalech. hist. 1. p. 487. f. 1. Flowers small, yellow. 



Bractless Star- Vetch. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1 700. PL pros. 



2 A. DU'RUM (D. C. prod. 2. p. 3 11.) peduncles a little longer 

 than the leaves, almost bractless at the apex ; stipulas concrete, 

 sheathing ; lower leaves simple, the rest pinnate, with few pairs 

 of obcordate leaflets, the lower ones approximating the stem ; 

 legumes arched, rather tetragonal. Q. H. Native of Spain, 

 about Valentia and Madrid in bushy places, and of Portugal in 

 vineyards. Ornithopus dftrus, Cav. icon. 1. p. 31. t. 41. O. 

 heterophyllus, Brot. phyt. t. 67. fl. lus. 2. p. 160. Flowers 

 yellow. 



Hard-podded Star- Vetch. Fl. Ju. July. Clt. 1816. PL -J to 

 | foot. 



3 A. REPA'NDUM (D. C. prod. 2. p. 311.) peduncles a little 

 shorter than the leaves, bractless at the apex ; stipulas concrete, 

 sheathing ; lower leaves simple, ovate, and emarginate, upper 

 ones pinnate ; leaflets oblong, lower ones roundish, approximat- 

 ing the stem ; legumes rather nodose, a little incurved. Q. H. 

 Native of Barbary in fields towards Lacalle. Ornithopus re- 

 pantlus, Lam. ill. t. 631. f. 4. Poir. diet. 4. p. G20. O. lotoides, 

 Viv. Flowers yellow. 



Repand-podded Star- Vetch. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1805. PI. 

 prostrate. 



4 A. SCORPIOIDES (D. C. prod. 2. p. 311.) peduncles longer 

 than the leaves, bractless ; stipulas concrete, sheathing ; leaves 

 trifoliate; lower leaflets small, roundish, approximating the stem, 

 terminal one large, oval ; legume a little incurved, rather nodose. 

 O- H- Native of the south of Europe, in corn-fields. Orni- 

 thopus scprpioides, Lin. spec. 1049. Cav. icon. t. 37. Orni- 

 thopus trifoliatus, Lam. fl. fr. 2. p. 659. Ornithopodium scor- 

 pioides, All. Ornithopodium triphy'llum, Mcench. Flowers 

 yellow. 



Scorpion-like-yoMed Star- Vetch. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1506. 

 PL | foot. 



Cult. The seeds of these plants only require to be sown in 

 the open border in spring. 



CXXXVII. ORNI'THOPUS (from opwe opviOot, orms or- 

 nilhos, a bird, aud TTOVS, pous, a foot ; the legumes are like the 

 claws of a bird, and are disposed somewhat in the same manner). 

 Desv. journ. bot. 3. p. 121. t. 5. f. 14. D. C. prod. 2. p. 311. 

 Ornithopus species Lin. and others. Lam. ill. t. 631. Orni- 

 thopodium, Tourn. inst. t. 224. Mcench. meth. 



LIN. SYST. Diadelphia, Decdndria. Calyx tubular, almost 

 equally 5-toothed, bracteate. Keel of corolla small, compressed. 

 Stamens diadelphous. Legume compressed, with many 1- 

 seeded indehiscent joints, which are truncate at both ends, but 

 having parallel margins. European, villous, annual herbs, with 

 impari-pinnate leaves, small stipulas which are adnate to the 

 petioles, axillary peduncles, bearing a few-flowered umbel at the 



top of each. Flowers small, white or rose-coloured. All the 

 species have a pinnate bractea under each head of flowers. 



1 O. COMPRE'SSUS (Lin. spec. 1049.) peduncles shorter than 

 the leaves ; leaves villous, upper ones having the lower pair of 

 leaflets approximating the stem ; legumes compressed, pubes- 

 cent, wrinkled, incurved at the apex ; the joints oval. O- H. 

 Native of the south of Europe and the north of Africa, in 

 sandy places. Berg. phyt. t. 191. Ornithopodium compressum, 

 All. ped. no. 1245. Flowers small, yellow. 



Compressed-podded Bird's-foot. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1731. 

 PL prostrate. 



2 O. PERPUSILLUS (Lin. spec. 1049.) peduncles longer than 

 the leaves ; leaves rather villous, upper ones having the lower 

 pair of leaflets approximating the stem ; legumes rather com- 

 pressed, glabrous, curved upwards, the joints elliptic, moderately 

 compressed. O- H. Native of every part of Europe and 

 the North of Africa, on heaths and gravelly pastures ; plentiful 

 in Britain. Smith, engl. bot. 369. Oed. fl. dan. 307. Curt, 

 lond. 6. t. 53. Flowers small, usually 2-3 or 5 in a head, having 

 the vexillum and wings white, and beautifully veined with crimson, 

 and the keel green. 



Var. ft, nodbsus (Mill. diet. no. 2.) root bearing ovoid tuber- 

 cles ; legumes pubescent. 0. H. Native of Europe, in several 

 parts of Britain and of France, very common about Paris. The 

 tubercles, which are said to be on the roots of this variety, are 

 to be found on the roots of almost all leguminous plants, which 

 arise from morbid excrescences. 



Common or I'ery small Bird's-foot. Fl. May, July. Britain. 

 PL prostrate. 



3 O. SATIVVS (Brot. fl. kis. 2. p. 160.) peduncles longer than 

 the leaves ; leaflets pubescent ; oval in the lower leaves, and 

 lanceolate in the superior ones, the lower pairs approximating 

 the stem ; legumes hardly arched, with roundish compressed 

 knots. O- H. Native of Portugal and other parts of the south 

 of Europe, in rather wet sandy places and meadows. O. roseus, 

 Dufour. in litt. O. perpusillus /3, intermedius, Roth. fl. germ. 

 2. p. 215. Ornithopodium majus, C. Bauh. pin. 350. Ger. emac. 

 .1241. f. 3. Moris, hist. sect. 2. t. 10. f. 13. Flowers white 



and red, mixed. 



Cultivated Bird's-foot. FL May, July. Clt. 1818. PL pr. 



Cult. The seeds of these plants only require to be sown in 

 the open ground, in spring. None of the species are worth cul- 

 tivating, except in botanical gardens. 



CXXXVIII. HIPPOCRETIS (from Woe, hippos, a horse, 

 and i^priTrif, krepis, a shoe; in reference to the shape of the recesses 

 of the pods, which are curved in such a manner as to give them 

 a likeness to a horse's shoe). Lin. gen. 885. Lam. ill. t. 630. 

 D.C. prod. 2. p. 312. Ferrum-equinum, Tourn. inst. t. 225. 



LIN. SYST. Diadelphia, Decdndria. Calyx 5-cleft (f. 42. a.) 

 with the lobes equal and acute. Carina of corolla 2-edged (f. 

 42. &.). Stamens diadelphous. Style filiform, acute. Legume 

 having numerous, 1-seeded joints, curved (f. 42. e.), hence the 

 upper side of the legume appears as if it were cut, from having 

 numerous rounded recesses. Seeds cylindrical or compressed, 

 oblong, curved, fixed to the middle p-trt of the joint, and there- 

 fore the umbilicus is in the middle of the curve. Herbs or sub- 

 shrubs, with impari-pinnate leaves and yellow flowers, which are 

 sometimes solitary and axillary, sometimes sessile, but usually 

 disposed in umbels on the tops of the axillary peduncles. 



1. Roots perennial. Legumes sinuated, with the joints curved, 

 forming a broad open recess between each pair. 



1 H. BALEA'RICA (Jacq. misc. 2. p. 305. icon. rar. 1. p. 149.) 

 shrubby, erect ; peduncles longer than the leaves, bearing an 



