990 ONOBRYCHIS. [CLASS XVII, ORDER ITF, 
longer than the leaves; legumes sub-globose, spirally twisted into 
five loose turns, hairy, the margin keeled, and with a double row of 
close spreading straight awl-shaped spines, furrowed on each side at 
the base, and hooked at the apex. 
English Botany, t. 2635.—Hooker, British Flora, ed. 4. vol. i. p. 
280.—Lindley, Synopsis, p. 83.—I/Z. muricata.—English Flora, vol. 
iii. p. 320. (?) 
Root fibrous. Stem from four inches to two feet long, procumbent, 
or erect, more or less angular and furrowed, and mostly much 
branched, clothed with soft close pubescence. Leaves on short 
petioles, downy, leaflets obovate, or sometimes obcordate, entire or 
toothed towards the apex, dark green above, paler beneath, with a 
prominent mid-rib, terminating in a short point, the lateral ones 
nearly sessile, the middle one on a short stalk. Stipules ovate lanceo- 
late, entire, or slightly toothed, united at the base. Inflorescence 
axillary clusters of from two to six small yellow flowers, elevated on 
a peduncle, as long or mostly longer than the leaves. Flowers 
elevated on a short pedicle from the axis of a minute bractea. JL’ruit 
sub-globose, hairy, spirally twisted into four turns, pale, and slightly 
reticulated on the surface, the margin acutely keeled, with a distant 
rib on each side, and from these a double row of spines arise, one 
margin of the spine arising from the central rib, and the other from 
the lateral one forming a furrowed straight spine of greater or less 
length, hooked at the point. Seed kidney-shaped, yellow. 
Habitat—Sandy waste places, rare; Narburgh, Norfolk; near 
Newmarket, Romney Warren, and between Sandwich and Pegwell, 
Kent; Landguard Fort, Suffolk ; and Pegwell Bay, Isle of Thanet. 
Annual ; flowering in June and July. 
This is a common species in the Southern parts of Europe, growing 
more or less luxuriantly according to the soil and situation. We 
have collected it from the ruins of the Colosseum, at Rome, not more 
than three inches high; and upon the sandy banks near the 
Mediterranean it grows more than two feet long, much branched, 
and spreading. It may be observed (giving some idea of the extent 
of that vast mass of ruin, the Collosseum, at Rome,) that there are 
not less than two hundred species of plants growing upon its 
crumbling walls. 
GENUS XVI. ONOBRY'CHIS.—Tovury. Saintfoin. 
Nat. Ord. Papitiona'cE%. Linn. 
Gen. Cuar. Calyx five-cleft, equal. eel obliquely truncated, wings 
short. Stamens diadelphous. Legume sessile, of one joint, 
indehiscent, coriaceous, compressed, one seeded, the upper margin 
thick and straight, the lower thinner, curyed, toothed, spiny, or 
