THE PEA FAMILY 107 



in size and in the roughness of the. net-like veins covering the 

 surface, which sometimes are not apparent, especially when 

 the seeds are not quite ripe. 



Silverweed (Potentilla Anserina L.), occasionally mis-named 

 Buttercup, is sometimes found in moist land. It is a perennial 

 with slender, jointed runners, which root and form new plants 

 at each joint like the strawberry. The leaves, silvery hairy 

 beneath, are composed of from 3 to 10 large, oval, sharply-toothed 

 leaflets on each side of the stalk, with very small ones between 

 them. The long-stalked, golden-yellow flowers, nearly an inch 

 across, are followed by a cluster of dry, smooth seeds. Silverweed 

 roots on the surface of the ground and is best controlled by 

 draining the land and plowing down the plants. 



THE PEA FAMILY {Leguminosae). 



This large and important family is well represented in 

 Canada and contains many useful plants, such as peas, beans 

 and clovers, as well as some poisonous species, as the Loco 

 Weeds (Oxytropis) and Golden Bean (Thermopsis) of the 

 western plains, and a small number of weeds of secondary 

 importance. All plants of the Pea family collect nitrogen from 

 the air and render it available for plant food. 



Every species of this family can be recognized by one of 

 two characteristics; either a butterfly-shaped corolla, such 

 as we find on a large scale in the sweet pea, or a pod, technically 

 called a legume, for a fruit, like that of the same plant 

 or of the garden pea. By far the larger number of the plants 

 have both characteristics. 



Rabbit's-foot Clover (Trifolium arvense L.) is a useless 

 member of this family, not common in Canada and of little 

 importance. 



* The Sweet Clovers (Melilotus alba Desr. and MelHotus officinalis 

 (L.) Lam.), often complained of by farmers, are biennial way- 

 side weeds which are easily subdued by preventing them from 

 seeding, as each plant lives for two years only. 



