Vor,. II.] PEA FAMILY. 



4. Medicago Arabica All. Spotted Medic. (Fig. 2067.) 



Medicago Arabica All. Fl. Fed. i: 315. 1785. 

 Medicago maculata Sibth. Fl. Oxon. 232. 1794. 



Annual, glabrous, or sometimes with a few 

 spreading hairs, closely resembling the preceding 

 species, but generally stouter. Leaflets often 

 nearly i / long, and with a conspicuous dark spot 

 or spots near the centre; pod nearly globose, of 3 

 or 4 compactly wound coils, reticulate-veined on 

 the sides, the edge thicker and furrowed between 

 the marginal rows of curved prickles. 



In waste places and ballast, New Brunswick to 

 Pennsylvania. Also on the Pacific Coast. Fugitive 

 or adventive from Europe. Summer. Called also 

 Bur-, Heart- or Spotted-clover, Heart-trefoil, and 

 Heart-leaf. 



xi. MELILOTUS Juss. Gen. PI. 356. 1789. 



Annual or biennial herbs, with 3-foliolate petioled leaves, dentate leaflets, their veins 

 commonly ending in the teeth, and small white or yellow flowers in slender racemes. 

 Calyx-teeth short, nearly equal; standard obovate or oblong; wings oblong; keel obtuse. 

 Stamens diadelphous; anthers all alike. Ovary sessile or stipitate, few-ovuled; style fili- 

 form. Pod ovoid or globose, straight, indehiscent or finally 2-valved. Seeds solitary or 

 few. [Greek, Honey-lotus.] 



About 20 species, natives of Europe, Africa and Asia. 



Flowers white; standard a little longer than the wings. i. M. alba. 



Flowers yellow; standard about equalling the wings. 2. M. officinalis. 



Melilotus alba Desv. White Melilot. White Sweet-clover. (Fig. 2068.) 



Melilolus alba Desv. in Lam. Encycl. 4: 63. 1797. 



Melilotus vulgaris Willd. Enum. Hort. Berol. 790. 

 1809. 



Erect or ascending, 3-io high, branching, gla- 

 brous, or the young twigs and leaves finely pubescent. 

 Leaves petioled, rather distant; leaflets oblong or 

 slightly oblanceolate, serrate, narrowed at the base, 

 truncate, emarginate or rounded at the apex, 6 // -io // 

 long, 2 // ~5 // wide; stipules subulate; racemes numer- 

 ous, slender, z'-tf long, often i-sided; pedicels i" 

 long or less; flowers white; standard slightly longer 

 than the wings; pod ovoid, slightly reticulated, 

 glabrous, i%" long. 



In waste places, frequent throughout our area and in 

 the southern States. Adventive or naturalized from 

 Europe, and native also of Asia. Called also Honey- 

 lotus, Cabul-, Tree- or Bokhara-clover. Leaves fragrant 

 in drying, as in other species of the genus. June-Nov. 



18 



