CHAPTER XXIV 

 MISCELLANEOUS PERENNIAL LEGUMES 



THERE are parts of America to which none of the pe- 

 rennial clovers or alfalfa are well adapted and for which a 

 good perennial legume is greatly to be desired. This need 

 is greatest in the South. In Europe sainfoin, kidney 

 vetch, and other perennials have been profitably employed, 

 but none of these seems to possess much value for America. 

 Among recently exploited crops of this class, kudzu is 

 probably the most promising. 



SAINFOIN (Onobrychis vicicefolia) 



674. Description. Sainfoin is also known as esparcet 

 or esparsette. A synonym of its botanical name is Ono- 

 brychis sativa Lam. It occurs wild in most of the southern 

 half of Europe and eastward to Lake Baikal. About 

 twelve botanical varieties have been described from 

 Europe, but none of these has come into agricultural use. 



Sainfoin is a very long-lived, deep-rooted perennial. 

 It is stated by Lawson that plants may live 100 years. 

 The root may reach a diameter of 2 inches and extend 

 to a depth of 20 feet or more. From the branched crown 

 arise numerous stout, erect stems which reach a height of 

 1 to 2 feet. The leaves are odd-pinnate with 13 to 15 

 leaflets. The rose-colored (rarely white) flowers are in 

 an erect, close raceme 2 to 5 inches long. The one-seeded 



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