314 ORDER 46. LEGUMINOS^E. 



6 M. maculata Willd., with Ivs. marked with a purple spot, and pods compactly 

 spiral, and echinate somewhat like No. 4, said to be naturalized South ; we have 

 not met with it, unless an imperfect specimen from Potsdam, N. Y., be this plant 

 Other species of this curious genus are occasionally found in gardens. 



31. MELILO^TUS, Tourn. MELILOT. (Lat. mel, honey, and lotus; 

 in drying it exhales a sweet odor.) Calyx tubular, 5-toothcd, persist- 

 out ; corolla deciduous, keel petals completely united, shorter than the 

 ahe or vcxillum ; stamens diadelphous (9 & 1) ; legume rugous, longer 

 than the calyx, 1 to few-seeded. Genus taken from Trifolium. Lvs. 

 pinnatcly trifoliate, veins of the Ifts. simple or forked. Fls. in racemes. 



1 M. officinalis Willd. St. erect, with spreading branches; Ifts. obovate-oblong, 

 oltuse, dentate; rac. spicatc, axillary, paniculate, loose; cal. half as long as the 

 yellow corolla ; leg. 2-seeded, ovoid. Alluvial meadows. St. sulcate, about 31 

 high. Lfts. smooth, with remote, mucronate teeth. Fls. in long, 1-sided, slender 

 racemes; petals of nearly equal length. The whole plant is sweet-scented. Jn. 

 Eur. 



2 M. dlba Lam. SWEET-SCENTED CLOVER. WHITE MELILOT. St. erect, branched, 

 Ifts. ovate-oblong, truncate and mucronate at the apex, remotely serrate ; slip. 

 setaceous ; cal. less than half as long as tho white cor. ; leg. 2-seeded, ovoid. 

 (D Alluvial soils. St. robust, very branching, sulcate, 4 to 6f high. Lfts. 1 to|2' 

 long, more obtuse at tho apex than at base, mucronately serrate. Fls. numerous, 

 the racemes more loose and longer than in the last. Petals unequal : banner 

 longer than wings or keel. Yery fragrant when dried. Jl, Aug. f Eur. 



32. PSORA'LEA. (Gr. ipupaMog? leprous or scaly ; alluding to the 

 glandular dots.) Calyx 5-cleft, c&npanulate ; segments acuminate, lower 

 one longest ; stamens diadelphous, rarely somewhat monadelphous ; leg- 

 umes as long as the calyx, l-seeded,indehiscent. ^ or J?. Often 

 glandular-dotted ; stip. cohering with the base of the petiole. FLs. 

 cyanic. 



* Leaves palmately 1 and 8 (rarely Defoliate Nos. 1, 2 



* Leaves palmately 5, or 5 and 7-foliate Nos. 3, 4 



* Leaves pinnately 8 or 1-foliate Nos. 5 S 



* Leaves pinnate, 19 to 21-foliate . . . .. No. 9 



1 P. can^sceiis MX. Very branching, canescently pubescent, lower Ivs. 3-foliate, 

 upper 1-foliate, Ifts. roundfeh-obovate, obtuse, tapering at base into a petiolule, dot- 

 ted. Sandy woods, N. Car. to Fla. Plant 2f high, excessively branched, form- 

 ing a globular bush. Fls. in small clusters at the end of the branchlets ; small, 



- " blue at first, changing to dull yellow" (Mettauer). Cal. gibbous, almost spurred 

 at base. May Jl. 



2 P. floribunda Nutt. Canescent, much branched; Ifls. 3, rarely 5, dotted, ob- 

 long-obovate, varying to linear; stip. setaceous; rac. slender, many-flowered, twice 

 longer than the leaves; pedicels as long as the flowers, and longer than the small, 

 ovate-acuminate bracts; vex. roundish; leg. smooth. Alluvial soils, 111. (Mead), 

 Ark. "W. to the R. Mta St. 2 to 4f high, branches spreading. Lfts. 1 to 2' by 

 2 to 4''. Common petiole ^ to 1' long. Fls. bluish purple, 3'' long, 15 to 30 in 

 the very canescent racemes. Jn. 



3 P. subacaulis Torr. & Gray. Nearly acaulescent, hirsute; Ivs. 7-foliate on very 

 long petioles f Ifts. obovate-oblong ; fls. in dense, egg-shaped racemes ; cal. much 

 shorter than the cor. Tenn., near Nashville (Dr. Roam in N. Am. Flora). Lvs. 

 and flower-stalks almost radical, 6 to 10' long; Ifts. about 1' long. 



4 P. lupinelltis MX. St. slender, glabrous; Ivs. 5 to 7-foliate; Ifts. linear-fili- 

 form ; rac. longer than the Ivs.. many-flowered ; pod incurved at base, recurved 

 at apex, so as to simulate the letter S. Pine barrens, S. Car. to Fla. Sts. about 

 2f high. Lfts. 2 to 3' long. Fls. as large as in P. floribunda. May, Jn. 



5 P. variegata !S T utt. Virgate, smoothish; Ivs. 1-foliate, remote; Ifts. linear (tho 

 lower rarely 3 -foliate and oblong) ; ped. shorter than the Ivs. : spikes rather dense- 

 flowered. Near St. Mary's, Ga. St. about 2f high. Lfts.' 2 to 4' by 2 to 4 ". 

 Fls. pale violet. 



