PULSE FAMILY. Leguminosas. 



Lespedeza '^^^ flowers of this species are clustered 



capitata in small round heads terminating a stiff, 



White straight stalk, which is silky hairy. The 



* "^^^ ^ leaves have three oblong leaflets, and are 



nearly stemless. The flowers are similar to the fore- 

 going species, or they are white, magenta streaked. 

 Visited by the leaf-cutter bee {Megachile brevis) among 

 many others. 2-4 feet high. Same situations everywhere. 

 Common Vetch -^ climbing annual adventive from Eu- 

 Vicia sativa rope where it is cultivated for fodder ; one 

 Purple Qf ii^Q genus is also extensively cultivated 



May-August -^^ j^^j^^^ notably about Naples, and in the 

 vicinity of Pompeii. The flowers, which are purple or 

 even magenta-pink, grow in pairs or singly at the junc- 

 tion of stem with leaf-stalk. The 8-10 leaflets are obtuse 

 oblong, notched at the tip, and the stalk terminates in 

 two twining tendrils. The pod resembles that of the 

 pea, but it is long and slender. Stem 1-3 feet long. N. 

 Eng., south, and west to Minn, and S. Dak. 

 Cow Vetch ^ perennial, and graceful plant climbing 



Vicia Cracca by tendrils, and characterized by a fine, 

 Light violet downy hairiness. The compound leaf has 

 June-August twenty or more lance-shaped leaflets ter- 

 minated abruptly by a bristlelike point. The small 

 bean-blossomlike flower is light violet, the upper petal is 

 lined with a deeper violet ; the cluster is sometimes quite 

 four inches long, and is one-sided ; it grows from be- 

 tween the leaf -stalk and the plant-stem. The color of 

 the foliage is rather gray olive green. Fruit like a small 

 pea-pod. Stem 2-3 feet long. Dry soil, on the borders 

 of thickets, and cultivated fields. Me. and N. J., west 

 to Iowa and Minn. 



Easily distinguished from the foregoing 



^^^^^ by its generally smooth character and its 



Americana , ,i. . , , n - i • i i 



Light violet obtuse elliptical leaflets which are less in 



number (8-14) and distinctly veined. The 



light violet flowers are larger, and only 3-9 form the 



rather loose cluster. 2-3 feet long. In moist soil. Me. , 



south to Va. and Ky., and west to Nev. The Vicias 



are in general cross-fertilized with the assistance of the 



