Tephrosia. LEGUMINOSiE. " IflT 



^. Brissonia, Neek. Style longitudinally bearded. "Legume more or less velvety or hispid. S^eds 



reniform, compressed. 



1. Tephrosia Virginiana, Fers. Goat's Rue. Catgut. 



Stem villous-pubescent, erect ; leaves nearly sessile ; leaflets 8-14 pairs, oblong-linear or 

 elliptical, mucronate, silky villous underneath, minutely silky-pubescent above ; calyx very 

 villous, the segments acuminate and cuspidate, about the length of the tube. — Pers. syn. 2. 

 p. 329 ; Ell. sk. 2. p. 245 , Nutt. gen. 2. p. 119 ; DC. prodr. 2. p. 248 ; Hook. ft. Bor.- 

 Am. 1. p. 139 ; Beck, hot. p. 81 ; Darlingt. fl. Cest. p. 409 ; Torr. ^ Gr. fl.N. Am. 1. 

 p. 296. Galega Virginiana, Linn. ; Willd. sp. 3. p. 1244 ; Michx. fi. 2. p. 67. 



Roots slender, long and tough. Whole plant clothed with a whitish pubescence. Stems 

 about a foot high, usually clustered, sometimes inclined. Leaflets about an inch long, of 

 variable breadth, sometimes only about 2 lines wide, but more commonly about one-third of 

 an inch. Flowers in a dense terminal raceme, about the size of a pea-blossom, dull yellow 

 handsomely tinged with purple. Legume about 2 inches long and 3 lines wide, villous, 

 6 — 8-seeded. Seeds brownish, often speckled. 



Dry sandy soils ; often on hill-sides : rather common. Fl. Middle of June to the end of 

 July. Fr. September. Dr. Darlington states that an infusion of the root is a popular 

 vermifuge. 



TniBE IV. TRIFOLIEjE. Bronn. 



Corolla papilionaceous. Stamens diadelphous (9 <^ 1). Legume continuous, one-celled, 

 dehiscent and several-seeded, or nearly indehiscent with one or few seeds. Radicle 

 inflexed. — Erect or procumbent, mostly low herbs, rarely somewhat shrubby. Leaves 

 palmately or pinnately trifoliolate, without stipelles : leaflets often toothed or serrulate ! 

 Inflorescence in racemes, spikes, heads or umbels, which are either terminal or axillary. 



CONSPECTUS OF THE GENERA. 



11. Tbifolium. Legumes (small) mostly shorter than the calyx, one- or several-seeded, membranaceous, indehiscent, 



or only opening by the ventral suture. — Flowers more or less capitate. 



12. Meli LOTUS. Legume globose or ovoid, longer than the calyx, rugose, scarcely dehiscent. — Flowers in racemose 



spikes. 



13. Medicago. Legume falcate or »pirally twisted, compressed, membranaceous. 



11. TRIFOLIUM. Tourn. inst. t. 228 ; Endl. gen. 6511. CLOVER, trefoil. 



[ Named from the Latin, tres, three, and folium, a leaf] 



Calyx tubular or campanulate, 5-cleft or 5-toothed ; the segments or teeth subulate or seta- 

 ceous. Corolla mostly persistent or marcescent ; the petals all usually more or less united 

 at the base, free from (or occasionally coherent with) the stamen-tube. Vexillum longer 



