102 LEGUMINOSJZ. [Anthyllts. 



9. ANTHYL'LIS, Z. Kidney- Vetch. 



Herbs or shrubs. Leaves pinnate, with a terminal leaflet ; stipules small 

 or 0. Flowers in capitate cymes, sometimes involucrate, yellow white or 

 red-purple ; bracts various or 0. Calyx inflated, mouth oblique 5-toothed. 

 Petals with long claws, those of the 4 lower adnate to the staminal tube ; 

 standard auricled at the base ; keel incurved, gibbous on each side, resilient 

 after deflection with the anthers retracted. Filaments all united, or the 

 upper distinct : anthers uniform. Style smooth, stigma terminal ; ovules 

 2 or more. Pod enclosed in the calyx, obliquely ovoid, dehiscent or not, 

 1-3-seeded.— Distrib. Europe, Asia, N. Africa; species 20. — Etym. 

 The old Greek name. 



A. Vulnera'ria, L. ; silky, stems herbaceous, leaflets 2-6 pairs. 



Dry rocky banks, N. to Shetlands, rather local; ascends to 2,400 ft. in the 

 Highlands ; Ireland ; Channel Islands ; fl. June—Aug. — Bootstock woody, 

 short, branched. Stejns 6-16 in., many, leafy, herbaceous, suberect. Radical 

 leaves 2-4 in., pinnate, unequal ; leaflets §-l| in., narrow-oblong. Heads 

 f-l|in. diam., in pairs, rarely solitary; or with small accessory ones, the 

 pairs peduncled, but each sessile ; involucre of subsessile linear appressed 

 or spreading leaflets. Flotvers §-§ in., usually yellow, but variable in colour, 

 proterandrous. Calyx membranous, longer than the petals ; teeth minute, 

 ovate, acute, mo;ith contracted. Pod very small, acute, glabrous, reticulated, 

 partially dehiscent, 1 -seeded. — Distrib. Europe (Aj-ctic), N. Africa, W. 

 Asia. 



A. Vulnera'ria proper; involucral leaves short, flowers yellow. — Var. A. 

 Dille'nii, Schult. ; involucral leaves nearly as long as the cream coloured 

 flowers with red tips. Sussex to Cornwall and "Wales. 



10. LOTUS, Z. Bird's-foot Trefoil. 



Herbs or under-shrubs. Leaves pinnately or palmately 4-5-foliolate ; 

 stipules minute or 0. Flowers in capitate or umbellate axillary peduncled 

 cymes, yellow red or white, proterandrous ; bracts 3-foliolate. Calyx 2- 

 lipped, or with 5-subequal teeth. Petals free from the staminal tube ; 

 keel incurved or inflexed, beaked, gibbous on each side, resilient after de- 

 flection. Alternate filaments dilated upwards, upper distinct ; anthers 

 uniform. Ovary sessile ; style inflexed, glabrous, stigma terminal or 

 lateral ; ovules many. Pod elongate, cylindric, 2-valved, septate between 

 the seeds. — Distrib. Europe, N. and S. Africa, temp. Asia, America, 

 Australia ; species 50. — Etym. unknown. 



1. Ii. cornicula'tus, L. ; perennial, decumbent, heads 5-10-fld., ped- 

 uncles very long, calyx-teeth erect in bud, 2 upper triangular converging 

 with an obtuse sinus. 



Pastures and waste places, N. to Shetlands ; ascends to 2,800 ft. in the High- 

 lands ; Ireland ; Channel Islands ; fl. June-Sept. — Variable in habit and 

 stature. Bootstock short, woody, branched, not or scarcely stolon if erous. 

 Stems 4-16 in., tufted at the base. Leaves very shortly petioled ; leaflets 

 f-| in.; stipules ovate or lanceolate. Heads ^-1| in. diam., depressed. 



