8 



A genus of about 1500 species growing in all the life zones. It 

 contains a toxic alkaloid or glucoside which causes derangement of 

 the brain functions and affecting the motor nerves when fresh. The 

 early species like A. mollissimus, lentiginosus and others, which 

 come out before the grass is grown enough to eat, often poison horses. 

 Sheep are sometimes killed by Canadensis in summer in the same 

 way when other forage is eaten out so that they have to feed on this, 

 but no stock naturally eat any species of Astragalus. 



SYSTEMS OF CLASSIFICATION. 



Many attempts have been made to segregate the genus into sub- 

 genera, but all efforts have been abortitve for the reason that the 

 spcies are too closely related to make any such arrangement satisfact- 

 ory. The attempt to segregate the species into several genera has 

 been still more abortive. Oxytropis can be kept out on tho flimsiest 

 of characters only. 



DeCANDOLLE'S REVISION. 



DeCandoUe in the Prodromus pp. 281-307 attempts to arrarge the 

 World's species under four gen'-ial classes according to the color of 

 the flowers and the presence cf spines. His first class is the Purpu:- 

 ascentes with free stipules and purple flowers. His sub-groups uiider 

 this are the Hypoglottidei with 23 species, the Dissitlflori with 41 

 species Onybrychoidei with 35 species. Sesame! with S Pi^ecics, VesicarIi 

 with 4 species, Annulares with 10 species. 



His second class is tha OchroleucI with free stipules and cream- 

 colored flowers. His sub-groups are Bucerates with 11 species, Syn- 

 ochreati with 10 species, Ciceroidei with 20 species, Galegiformes 

 with 4 species Alopecurcldei with S species, Christiani with r. species 



His third class is the Tragacanthncei with adnate stipules and 

 .!.S species ard the Chroncpodii with 2 spceies. 



His fourth class is the Podochreati with adnate stipules, and 

 spinescent or persistent petioles. This contains the Tragacanthae witli 

 petioles not indurate nor spinescent. This contains the Anthophylloidei 

 with 14 species, the Caprini with 22 species, the Incani with 12 species 

 and the Radiclflori with 11 species. 



we are not concerned with his last two classes as none of the 

 species are North American. 



His Ochroleuci contains the Galegiformes with our A. racemosus 

 and is characterized by the free stipules, cream-colored flowers and. 

 stipitate pods. This class also contains the Ciceroidei with our A. 

 strigulosus, glaber and Canadensis. Its character is free stipules, po- 

 duncled spikes, cream-colored flowers, perennials, sessile pods. Now 

 A. strigulosus has stipitate p'ds and often purple flowers and with 

 intruded septum. A. Canadensis has 2-celled pods fleshy and with 

 peculiar flowers. A. glaber has 1-celled pods and long and distant 

 racemes. The plants are not at all related. His Synochreati contains 

 A. reptans which is related to A. strigulosus and has connate stipules 

 and light-colored flowers and papery pods. His Bucerates contains no 

 North American species, but A. hamosus is like many of our Hamosi. 

 The group character is curved pods, free stipules, cream-colored 

 flowers, and annual plants, but our flowers are as often purple as not, 

 stipules often united, and roots often perennial. 



His Purpurascentes Class has A. Nuttallianus in the Annulares and 

 its character is annual roots, free stipules curved pods, variable 

 flowers but supposed to be purple. The pods of Nuttallianus are often 



