PULSE FAMILY. 



97 



2. T. pratense, L. Stems ascending ; leaflets oval or ovate-oblong, often 

 retuse ; stipules broad, terminating in a bristle-like point ; heads ovoid, 

 dense-flowered, sessile, bracteate at base ; calyx-segments scarcely half 

 as long as the corolla, the lower one longer than the others. 



MEADOW TRIFOLIUM. Red 

 Clover. Common Clover. 



Fr. Trefle des Pres. 

 Der Wiesen-Klee. 

 Trebol. 



Germ. 

 Span. 



75 



A.H. 



Root biennial, or perennial ? large, 

 fusiform. Stems several from the 

 same root, 1 - 2 or 3 feet long, rather 

 weak at base and often decumbent, 

 somewhat branched, striate and 

 pilose. Leaflets half an ir^h to an 

 inch and a half long, sessile, usu- 

 ally with a broad paler spot in the 

 middle, hairy beneath ; common 

 petiole half an inch to 4 - 5 inches 

 long. Heads of flowers ovoid or 

 subglobose, an inch or more in 

 diameter. Corolla purplish-red 

 (rarely white) the petals all 

 united into a slender tube about 

 half an inch in length. Legume 

 1-seeded, included in the calyx. 

 Seed reniform, greenish-yellow with 

 a shade of reddish brown. 



Cultivated fields, meadows, &c. 

 Canada to Florida : introduced. 

 Native of Europe. Fl. May -Sept. 

 Fr. July -October. 



Obs. This plant (which is sometimes spoken of in works upon agriculture 

 as a grass,) is one of the most valuable forage plants. It is thoroughly natu- 

 ralized ; but it is also diligently cultivated by all good farmers. In con- 

 junction with the grasses especially with Timothy (Phleum pratense) 

 it makes the best of hay though by itself it is rather indifferent pasture. 

 Its culture exerts a most kindly influence on the soil, and its introduction 

 as an ameliorating crop, has had a most beneficial influence upon Agri- 

 culture. It is the crop most frequently cultivated to " turn in," and 

 thus enrich the soil with organic matter. The plant is generally con- 

 sidered to be a biennial ; but Mr. JOSHUA HOOPES who is a very acute 

 observer assures me, he has satisfactorily ascertained that the plant will 

 live more than two years. It is not known at what time clover came 

 into general cultivation in this country ; but it is recorded that JOHN 

 BARTRAM had fields of it, prior to the American Revolution. The 

 flowers contain much nectar, but the tube of the corolla is so long that 

 the Honey Bee cannot reach the treasure with its proboscis ; and conse- 



FIG. 74. A cluster or head of the flowers of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) ; and a tri- 

 foliolate leaf. 75. A separate flower, enlarged, a A pod, or rounded legume, b The 

 seed, c The embryo removed from the seed coat. 



