THE PEA FAMir.V. 277 



CAROLINA MILK VETCH. 



Ashd'i^a/its Caro/ifi/duus. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



J'ca. Grccniiih yellow. Scentless. I.ouisia na ,i,i,l C.eovf^ht J iily, .1 u t:uit . 



iiort/noiiyil. 



Flcnucrs : growing densely in Itjiig pedunclcd, axillary si)ikcs. Calyx: tubular, 

 with fine, slender, pointed teeth. Corolla: papilionaceous, the standard sligiuly 

 erect and clawed as the other petals. Staimns : diadelphous, nine and one. 

 /.iXicnics : erect; inflated, tipped with a point and containing numerous seeds'; 

 thick; glabrous. Lcavcs : with petioles and lanceolate, nienibraneous stipules; 

 odd-pinnate with numerous long oval, or elliptical kalkls, entire, thin. Stem] 

 erect, often ascending; branched; leafy. 



Along- streams the dark gfeen foliage of the Carcjlina milk vetch appears 

 often vigorotis and handsome, but the bloom although interesimg is not 

 over prone to catch the eye. As well as greenish yellow it sometimes occurs 

 w^hite and tinged with purple. 



A. Tcuncssccnsis, Tennessee milk vetch, from that state to Missouri, 

 bears its flowers in short, thick racemes and is further known by its abini- 

 dance of villous hairs. The pods moreover are pubescent, wrinkled and 

 much curved at the apex. 



POINTED=LEAVED TICK=TREFOIL. {Plate LX XXV I) 



Meibhinia i^randijlora. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Pea. Purple. Scentless. I-'lotida to (Juc/'CC. J ii ne-Septcininr. 



Flowers : growing in a long, terminal jxuiicle the i)cduncle of which arises 

 from the summit of the stem where the leaves are crowded. Calyx-tii/u- : short, 

 the five teeth connected so as to form two lips. Corolla : pai)ilionaceous. 

 Legtinies : jointed twice or thrice, not constricted above. Leaves: growing in a 

 cluster at the summit of the stem and having small stipules; three-foliate; the 

 leaflets broadly ovate, pointed at the apex and squared or rounded at the base; 

 entire; glabrous or somewhat pubescent on both sides; the terminal leaflet con- 

 siderably larger than the other two. Stej?is: erect. 



It seems to be the natural tendency of some plants to diffuse them.selves 

 over as much of the earth's surface as possible ; and in attaining this desi- 

 deratum there is probably no cleverer family than the Meibomias. In fact 

 their various, and often unscrupulous ways of aggrandizing themselves has 

 been commented upon most freely. They use the instrument nearest at 

 hand, so waste no time in discrimination. Their loments. or jointed pods 

 are roughened on their surfaces and cling with tenacity to almost anything 

 which will carry them free of expense to a good distance. As an illustra- 

 tion of their ways I noticed at Wolf-Creek, Tennessee, that there came 

 down to meet the train what might have been uiiagined to be a mottled 



