120 MELILOT. 



what angular, and two or three feet in height. The leaves are 

 alternate, petiolate, composed of three obovate-oblong, obtuse, 

 remotely serrated leaflets, with two small setaceous stipulde at 

 the base. The flowers are small, yellow, seldom white, pendent 

 on their peduncle, and grouped in a lax, simple, elongated, uni- 

 lateral, axillary raceme. The calyx is tubular, with five 

 unequal teeth. The corolla is three times as long as the 

 calyx ; the standard or vexillum obovate, roundish, streaked 

 with brown ; the two wings, or alse, are the length of the keel ; 

 the carina or keel is convex at the back, with a linear claw. 

 The stamens are ten, nine united and one distinct, inclosed in 

 the keel ; anthers roundish. The germen is linear-ovate, com- 

 pressed, with a filiform style and a simple stigma. The legume 

 or pod is pendulous, obovate, acute, wrinkled, at length blackish, 

 and rather gibbous, two-seeded (sometimes one-seeded); the 

 seeds unequally cordate. Plate 32, fig. 2, («) entire flower, mag- 

 nified ; (b) calyx, stamens, and pistil ; (c) detached petals of the 

 corolla ; (d) pistil. 



Common Melilot is a native of Europe, and is frequent in 

 Britain, in thickets and hedges, and by way-sides. It flowers 

 in June and July. 



The generic name is derived from psX^ honey, >,oroc, lotus ; 

 as the plant resembles the lotus, and is much frequented by 

 bees. This species does not appear to be the piXi^w-oc of Dios- 

 corides, or the Meliloton of Pliny. It is called provincially 

 Melilot-Trefoil, Kings-Clover, and Harts- Clover. 



Qualities and general Uses — The foliage of this plant is relished 

 hy most animals, and is peculiarly agreeable to horses ; hence it has been 

 called by some Italian writers Trifolium ca. allinum. It has been recom- 

 mended for cultivation in this country, and appears to deserve experiment. 

 The Gruyere cheese of. Switzerland owes its flavour to the flowers and seeds 

 of Melilot, which are bruised and mixed .with the curd before it is pressed. 

 In Moldavia, the dried plant is put among furs, &c, to defend them from 

 insects, whence it is called there Motterikraut*. The distilled water is used 

 by perfumers. 



The recent plant has a sweet faint odour, and an herbaceous, 



bitterish, disagreeable taste ; when dried it has a more fragrant 



smell, resembling that of sweet Vernal-Grass (Anthoxanthum Odv- 



ratum), or Woodruff ( A S2ie rid a odorala). It yields its odorous 



* Beckmann'b Bibl. vol. xiii. p. 51)2. 



