LEGUMIXIFERiE. 49 



SPECIES XL— TRI FOLIUM SCABRUM. Liin. 

 Plate CCCLVII. 



Kootstock none. Stems numerous, flexuous, prostrate or 

 ascending, simple or slightly branched. Leaflets obovate or 

 oblanceolate, finely-denticulate ; the veins very prominent, the 

 lateral ones hooked downwards. Stipules adnate for rather less 

 than half the length, with the free portion lanceolate-triangular, 

 contracted into a short point ; the upper ones, which embrace the 

 flower-heads, only slightly dilated. Heads of flowers terminal and 

 axillary, sessile, solitary, ovoid, widest near the middle. Calyx- 

 tube oblong, scarcely swollen in fruit, 10-ribbcd, with a conspicuous 

 callous ring in the throat ; teeth triangular, spinescent, with a very 

 thick nerve; the two upjier ones rather shorter than the tube, 

 the lateral ones equalling it, the lower one exceeding it ; all erect 

 in flower, curved outwards and lengthening untQ they all exceed 

 the tube in fruit. Plant more or less pubescent. 



In dry gravelly and stony pastures and waste places. Not 

 uncommon in England. In Scotland confined to the East side, 

 reaching as far North as Kincardineshire. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Annual. Summer. 



Stems rather wiry, 3 to 9 inches long. Leaflets 5^ to ^ inch 

 long, very rigid from the thick veins which are curiously bent back 

 close to the margin of the leaf. Stipules often tinged with purple. 

 Heads rather few-flowered, ^ to f inch long, narrowed towards the 

 base. Calyx with the tube purplish and the teeth green, the latter 

 enlarging aft^T flowering, spreading in fruit, and assaniing the form 

 of a now with the convexity inwards ; the tube swelling very slightly 

 but becoming strongly ribbed in fruit. Flowers about as long as 

 tlie calyx-teeth, whitish. Pod very minute, enclosed in the leathery 

 calyx-tube. Seed ovoid, yellowish-brown. Plant more or less thickly 

 clothed with adpressed rather stiff hairs. 



A smaller and more wiry-stemmed plant than the preceding 

 species, from which it may always be distinguished by the strong 

 curved lateral veins of the leaflets. In fruit the two are very dis- 

 similar, the calyx of the T. scabrum is much less swollen than that 

 of T. striatum, with fewer and stiffer hairs and with much larger 

 falcate green teeth, which have a very thick central nerve. 



Bough Bigid Trefoil. 



French, Trifle Scabre. 



VUL. HI. H 



