MECONOPSIS 



MEDICAGO 



2019 



across. <lcep satiny pvirpR'-bluo; petals t or 5, ovate, 

 obovate or oblong; filaments colored Siune as petjils, 

 anthers orange: caps. 2-3 in. long, on an elongating 

 scape. Yunnan, 11,000-14,000 ft. G.C. III. .")0:.")1. 

 C!n. 77, p. 274. 



1.5. Henrici, Bnr. & Franch. .Vnnual or biennial 

 (monocarpie), more or less hairj- or sometimes glabrous, 

 low (about 6 in.), the st. very short or jiractieally none, 

 the scapes numerous and 1- or 2-fld.: Ivs. linear-oblong 

 or lanceolate, obtuse, entire, attenuate below: fls. large, 

 deep pur))le-violet, about 3 in. across; petals ti-S; obo- 

 v;»te, clawed, spreading; stamens verj' many, short, the 

 anthers ovate, orange; style slender, exceeding the 

 ovarj-. W. China. 



DD. Proper ft. cridcnl, the flowering branches or -peduncles 

 not arising fi-om the base. 

 16. grandis, Prain. Perennial, 3 ft., pubescent: 

 basal Ivs. numerous, somewhat rosulatc, ovate-lanceo- 

 late, entire or coarsely toothed, the cauline similar and 

 short-stalked or sessile: st. scajje-like with fascicled 

 Ivs. toward top: fis. 3-5 in. diam., in 3's in umbel-hke 

 c^^nes, brown-purple; petals 6-9; stamens numerous; 

 style short but distinct. Himalaya. G.C. HI. 37:369. 



M. dUclgera, Prain. Probably perennial, with golden brow-n 

 spreading hairs: Ivs. in a basal tuft, spatulate, subacute, sparingly 

 toothed, sometimes lobed toward the apex, green above, glaucous 

 beneath: St. scape-lilce. simple, 1 ft. high: fls. racemose, the petals 

 and sepals not described: caps, bearing a lobed disk. Himalaya. — 

 M. Furrfslii, Prain. .\llied to M. lancifolia: st. simple: Ivs. few, 

 lanceolate or narrow-subspatulate, obtuse or acutish, entire: fle. 3-5, 

 in raceme-like cymes, pale blue; petals oblong. Yunnan. — M. land- 

 /''•tin. Franch. Annual or biennial, much like M. Henrici, but the 

 deep violet fls. in raceme-like cymes : Ivs. narrow-lanceolate or linear- 

 lanceolate, entire or slightly repand: petals broadly obovate: caps, 

 narrow-obconic. China. — M. nepaulensis, Hort. What the cult, 

 plant passing under this name (variously spelled ) may be is uncertain. 

 .U. napaulensis D.C.. is allied to M. Wallichii, but with brownish 

 purple larger fis., and sparsely long-pilose herbage. M. 7tipalensis, 

 Hook. f.. is M. robusta. B.M. 5585. M. nepaUnsis, Lem., is a form 

 of M. paniculata; and M. napaulensis, Walp., belongs to the same 

 species. — M. Oliveriana. Franch. & Prain. Perennial: st. erect, 

 much branched, 2-3 ft.: Ivs. numerous, ovate-oblong, pinnately 

 parted: fl.s. solitary or twin, probably purple, the petals rounded and 

 nearly 1 in. diam. W. China. — M. paniculata, Praiu. Tall perennial, 

 soft-hairy: st. simple or seldom somewhat branched, bearing yellow 

 fls. in lax raceme-like cymes: Ivs. linear-lanceolate or oblong, sinuate 

 lobed, coarsely toothed, or rarely pinnatifid: petals entire. Hima- 

 laya. — M. primulina. Prain. .Annual or biennial, glabrous or 

 sparsely strigose: st. short; Ivs. spatulate to linear-oblong, entire: 

 scape nearly radical. 1-fld.: fls. Wolet-purple, the petals 6-8, the 

 inner ones narrower. Himalaya. — M. robiisla. Hook. f. & Thorns. 

 Tall annual or biennial, glaucescent, much branched: basal Ivs. 



ftinnately parted: fls. racemose or paniculate, sulfur-yellow. Hima- 

 aya. — M. supcrha. King, .\nnual or biennial, tall and stout: basal 

 Ivs. sinuate-lobed: st. simple, bearing white fls. in simple raceme- 

 like cymes. Himalaya. T H R 



MEDEOLA (named after the sorceress Medea, for 

 supposed medicinal virtues). Liliacex. Indi.\n Cucum- 

 ber-Root, from the taste of the edible root. One 

 species, a native perennial herb with 2 whorls of Ivs. 

 and small not showy fls. It is offered by some dealers 

 in native pl.ants. Medeola is allied to Triilium, although 

 not suggestive of it in looks. The fls. are umbellate in 

 the ufjper whorl of Ivs., the perianth-segms. all alike, 

 colored and deciduous, stamens 6: fr. a dark, purple 

 few-seeded berrj'. The Medeola asparagoidcs, Linn., 

 of the older literature, is Asparagim asparagoidcs. 



virginiana, Linn. Fig. 2342. St. slender, 1-3 ft. 

 high, clothed with flocculent deciduous wool, from a 

 short horizontal rootstockj, lower whorl of Ivs. .5-9, 

 obovate-lanceolate, pointed, netted-vciny, lightly paral- 

 lel-ribbed; upper whorl of 3-5, smaller, ovate Ivs. at top 

 subtending a se.ssile umbel of small n^urved fls. .June. 

 Boggy soil, Xova Scotia to Minn., Ind. and southward. 

 B.M. 1316. L. ,1. B. 



MEDICAGO (name originally from the country 

 Media). Legiiminosie. Medick. Forage plants, and 

 a few growii for ornament. 



Herbs or rarely shrubs, with .small j)innately 3-folio- 

 late Ivs. and denticulate Ifts., and mostly .small, purple 

 or yellow fls. in heads or short racemes: stamens 9 and 1, 



diadelphous: fr. a small spiral or curved, rough or 

 pubescent indehiscent 1- to few-seeded jjod: fl. with an 

 obovate or oblong standard and obtuse mostly short 

 keel. — Species probably 50 in Eu., Asia, Afr. Four or 

 5 species have become weeds in N. Ainer. A few are 

 somewhat cult, for ornament. The one important 

 species, from an agricultural point of view, is alfalfa. 

 One species (and ]jerhaps more) is cult, for the odd pods, 

 which are sometimes used by Old World gardeners as 

 surprises or jokes, and are occasionally grown in this 

 country as oddities. See also Scorpiurus. Some of the 

 medicagoes simulate clovers in appearance, but the 

 twisted or spiral pods distinguish them. Aside from the 

 following, 2 or 3 species have been used more or less in 

 this country for forage, as M. hispida, Willd., and 

 M. arabica, Huds., both yellow-fid. annuals. M. 

 orbicularis, All., of S. 

 Eu., a very small-fid., 

 yellow annual .species 

 with large smooth pods, 

 may be valuable for 

 for.age. 



A. Fls. purple. 

 satjva,Linn. Alfalfa. 

 Lucerne. Fig. 2343. 

 Perennial, glabrous, 

 growing erect 1-3 ft. 

 and making a long tap- 

 root: Ifts. small, linear, 

 oblong to ovate-oblong, 

 prominently toothed to- 

 ward the top: stipules 

 awl- like, conspicuous, 

 entire: fis. in short, 

 axillary racemes: pods 

 slightly pubescent, with 

 2 or 3 spirals. Eu. — Now 

 widely cult, as a hay and 

 p.asture plant, being to 

 the \V. what red clover is to the N. E.; also important 

 ea.stward. See Alfalfa, and books on forage plants. 



AA. Fls. yellow. 

 B. Plant annual and herbaceous. 



lupulina, Linn. Black or Hop Medick. Nonesuch. 

 Yellow Trefoil. Diffuse, the branches often rooting 

 and becoming 2-3 ft. long, deep-rooted, and difficult to 

 pull up: ])lant glabrous or shghtly pubescent: Ifts. oval 

 to orbicular, toothed: stipules broad and toothed: fis. 

 small, light yellow, in pedunculate heads: fr. nearly 

 glabrous, spiral, becoming black. Eu. — Extensively 

 naturahzed. It has the appearance of a clover. The 

 yellow clovers with which it is likely to be confounded 

 have larger heads, which soon become dry and papery, 

 and the stipules are entire. It is sometimes used as a 

 forage or hay plant. Of no ornamental value. 



prostr^ta, Jacq. St. prostrate: Ifts. linear, dentate at 

 the apex: stipules linear-subulate: pod glabrous, spi- 

 rally contorted, 2-seeded, black. S. Eu. — Advertised as 

 an ornamental plant. Al. elegans, a name for a low 

 yellow-fid. plant, may be any one of 4 or 5 species. 



scutellata, MUl. Snails. Erect or spreading, soft- 



Cubcscent: Ifts. broadly obovate or the upper ones 

 roadly oblong, prominently toothed: stipules falcate, 

 tootlied at the base: fls. small .solitary or nearly so: 

 jiod large and prominently reticulated, J 2in. across, 

 like a snail-shell. Eu. — Growii for the odd snail-like 

 pods, which are used as surprises. See Caterpillars. 

 Probably useful also for forage. 



BB. Plant perennial and woody. 

 arbftrea, Linn. Trek Alfalfa. Moon Trefoil. 

 Two to 8 ft. tall, with hard black wood: Ifts. oval to 

 obovate, light green, toothed at the top: stipules linear- 

 acute, entire: fls. orange-yellow, in rather loose, axillary, 



2343. Medicago sativa — 

 alfalfa. (X)i) 



