372 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



II. Phaseole.e. — Flowers papilionaceous, in racemes or fascicles, 

 usually axillary or lateral. Stamens and fruit as in Viciea. Erect 

 or twining herbs ; rarely arborescent plants. Leaves pinnate, rarely 

 digitate, 3-foliolate, rarely 1-, 5-, or 7-foliolate, stipellate (45 genera). 



III. Galege^e. — Herbs (not twining), trees, or shrubs (rarely 

 climbing). Leaves pinnate, rarely 1-3-foliolate ; leaflets usually 

 entire ; petiole not transformed into a tendril. Flowers in simple 

 or compound racemes or solitary. Stamens 2-adelphous (9-1), all 

 along, or only at the base, and 1-adelphous above. Pod bivalved, 

 or indehiscent and membranous or 1-2-seeded (55 genera). 



IV. LoTEiE. — Herbaceous or suffrutescent plants. Leaves pinnate, 

 with 3-oo entire leaflets. Flowers solitary, or more frequently 

 forming a sort of capitulum or umbel ; peduncles axillary, or approxi- 

 mated at the ends of the branches. Stamens 1- or 2-adelphous ; 5 

 usually having their filaments dilated above (S genera). 



V. Trifolie,e. — Herbaceous or rarely frutescent plants. Leaves 

 pinnate, rarely digitate, 3-foliolate ; leaflets often denticulate. 

 Flowers solitary racemose or spicate ; peduncles usually axillary. 

 Stamens 1- or 2-adelphous (6 genera). 



VI. Hedysare.e. — Characters of last four series ; fruit possessing 

 more or less distinct transverse articulations (49 genera). 



VII. DalbergiejE. — Trees or shrubs. Leaves pinnate, rarely 

 1 -3-foliolate. Inflorescence variable. Stamens 1- or 2-adelphous. 

 Fruit indehiscent, dry or partly fleshy, often few- or one-seeded 

 (26 genera). 



VIII. Genistej3. — Herbs or shrubs, with simple or digitate 

 leaves. Flowers in terminal or leaf-opposed racemes ; rarely solitary 

 or fascicled in the axils of the leaves. Stamens usually 1-adelphous 

 (41 genera). 



IX. Podalyrie^e. — Shrubs or rarely herbaceous plants. Leaves 

 as in GenistecE. Stamens free (20 genera). 



X. Sophore/E. — Trees or shrubs, rarely subherbaceous plants. 

 Flowers and free stamens of PodaJyriecB. Leaves usually pinnate 

 (28 genera). 



XL Tounatejs. — Trees or shrubs. Leaves pinnate ; leaflets oo, 

 rarely 1-3. Calyx closed valvate entire before anthesis. Stamens oo, 

 rarely subdefinite, free or nearly so (5 genera). 



In this group, taken as a whole, there is no character absolutely 



