58 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



SPECIES XVII.—TRI FOLIUM PRAGIFERUM. Zdnn. 

 Plate CCCLXIII. 



Eootstock branched. Stems prostrate, rooting at the nodes, the 

 extremities sometimes ascending. Leaves on rather long stalks. 

 Leaflets oval or obovate, rounded or slightly notched at the points, 

 denticulated at the margins, with prominent veins. Stipules adnate 

 for less than half their length, oblong, with the fi'ee portion tri- 

 angular, gradually acuminated into a long subulate point. Flower- 

 heads all axillary, on stalks much exceeding their own length, and 

 longer than the leaves from Avhich they spring, solitary, globular- 

 depressed, at length spherical and very dense. External bracts 

 lanceolate, acute, forming a distinct involucre about as long as the 

 calyces. Flowers scarcely stalked, slightly reflexed after flowering. 

 Calyx-tube in flower oblong, striate, downy above, with the teeth 

 subulate-setaceous, nearly equal, and about as long as the tube ; in 

 fruit having the upper portion very much swollen and becoming 

 convex, with the convexity greatest near the apex, reticulated, mem- 

 branous, and carrying forward the two projecting upper teeth so 

 that they much exceed the lower. Corolla not turned upside down, 

 not twice as long as the calyx, shrivelling. Plant sub-glabrous. 



In moist meadows and by the sides of ditches, and on commons. 

 Frequent and generally distribvited in England ; rare in Scotland, 

 where it has only been observed in Haddingtonshire and Fifeshire. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer 

 and Autumn. 



When in flower, this species is extremely like small specimens 

 of T. repens, these two being the only British species which have 

 rooting stems. In the present species the flower-heads are smaller, 

 sehlom ^ inch across, and have the bracts at the base forming a 

 distinct involucre, by which the species may be easily recognized 

 in this state. The flowers are also smaller, about ^ inch long, pale 

 l)uv|)lish-rose, with the calyx much longer in proportion, with longer 

 teeth, and downy on the back. In fruit this plant cannot be mis- 

 taken for any other ; the fruiting-heads are f inch across, with 

 the calyces enormously enlarged in the portion which represents 

 the 2 upper sepals, while that which corresponds with the 3 lower 

 ones remains nearly unaltered; the upper part becomes f inch long, 

 half pear-shaped, enlarging gradually from the base to near the 

 apex, where it again rapidly contracts to the base of the upper 

 teeth, which arc thus carried out far beyond the lower ones : this 

 upper portion is also strongly net-veined, and having usually a 



