Tepiirosia. LEGUMINOSiE. " 167 



§. Brissonia, Neck, lilyh longitudinaUy bearded. Legume more or less velvety or hispid. S:eds 



reniform, compressed. 



1. Tephrosia Virginiana, Fers. Goat's Rue. Catgut. 



Stem villous-pubescent, erect; leaves nearly sessile ; leaflets 8-14 pairs, oblong-linear or 

 elliptical, mucronate, silky villous underneath, minutely silky-pubescent above ; calyx very 

 villous, the segments acuminate and cuspidate, about the length of tlic tube. — Pers. syn. 2. 

 p. 329 ; Ell. sk. 2. p. 245 , Nutt. gen. 2. p. 1 19 ; DC. prodr. 2. p. 248 ; Hook. ft. Bor.- 

 Am. 1. p. 139 ; Beck, hot. p. 81 ; Darlingt. fl. Cest. p. 409 ; Torr. ^ Gr. fl. N. Am. \. 

 p. 296. Galega Virginiana, Linn. ; Willd. sp. 3. p. 1244 ; Micluc. fl. 2. p. 67. 



Roots slender, long and tough. Whole plant clollied with a whitish pubescence. Stems 

 about a foot high, usually clustered, sometimes inclined. Leaflets about an inch long, of 

 variable breadth, sometimes only about 2 lines wide, but more commonly about one-tiiird of 

 an inch. Flowers in a dense terminal raceme, about the size of a pea-blossom, dull yellow 

 handsomely tinged with purple. Legume about 2 inches long and 3 lines vv'ide, villous, 

 6 — 8-seeded. Seeds brownish, often speckled. 



Dry sandy soils ; often on hill-sides : rather common. Fl. Middle of June to the end of 

 July. Fr. September. Dr. Darlington states that an infusion of the root is a popular 

 vermifuge. 



Tribe IV. TRIFOLIE^. Bronn. 



Corolla papilionaceous. Stamens diadelphous (9 ^ 1). Legume continuous, one-celled, 

 dehiscent and several-seeded, or nearly indeliiscent with one or few seeds. Radicle 

 inflexed. — Erect or procumbent, mostly low lierhs, rarely somewhat shi~uhby . Leaves 

 palmately or pinnately trifoliolate, without stipelles : leaflets often toothed or serrulate ! 

 Inflorescence in racemes, spikes, heads or umbels, which are either terminal or axillary, 



CONSPECTUS OF THE GENERA. 



11. Trifolidm. Legumes (small) mostly shorter than the calyx, one- or Beveral-seeilcd, membranaceous, iodehiscent, 



or only opening by the ventral suture. — Flowers more or less capitate. 



12. Melilotus. Legume globose or ovoid, longer than the calyx, rugose, scarcely dehiscent. — Flowers in racemose 



spikes, 



13. Medicago. Legume falcate or spirally twisted, compressed, membranaceous. 



11. TRIFOLIUM. Tourn. inst. t. 228; Endl. gen. G511. CLOVER. TREFOIL. 



[ Named from the Latin, tns, three, and folium, a leaf] 



Calyx tubular or campanulate, 5-cleft or 5-toothed ; the segments or teeth subulate or seta- 

 ceous. Corolla mostly persistent or marcescent ; the petals all usually more or less united 

 at the base, free from (or occasionally coherent with) the slamen-lube. Vexillum longer 



