LEGUMINlFEKiE. 3 



consisting of a single carpel, with the placentae turned towards the 

 standard. Ovules usually several. Fruit a legume or pod (which, 

 however, assumes very various forms), sessile or stalked withi]i the 

 calyx, generally dry and opening by both sutures, but sometimes 

 1-seeded or breaking transversely into 1-seeded joints, and inde- 

 hiscent. Seeds with the funiculus commonly dilated at the point 

 where it is attached to the hilum. Cotyledons after germination 

 sometimes becoming foliaceous : sometimes, although stJll appear- 

 ing above ground, remaining thick : or sometimes never emerging 

 from the seed-coat, lladicle close to the hilum, generally curved, 

 lying along the edges of the cotyledons. 



To this sub-order belong the whole of the British species of 

 Legumeniferse. 



Tribe L— LOTE^. 



Stamens monadelphous or diadelphous. Pod continuous, not 

 articulated, 1-celled or more rarely more or less perfectly longi- 

 tudinally 2-celled (by the inflexion of the sutures), dehiscent or 

 indehiscent. Cotyledons changing into green leaves during 

 germination. Stem not climbing or twining. Leaflets usually 

 without stipels. 



Sub-Tribe I.— GENISTE^. 



Stamens monadelphous. Pod 1-celled. Stem often shrubby. 

 Leaves trifoliate, unifoliate, or digitately pluri-foliate, more rarely 

 without any lamina?. 



G^ENUS I.— UIjUX. Linn. 



Calyx coloured, divided to the base into 2 lips ; the upper lip 

 with 2 small teeth at the apex, the lower one with 3. Corolla not 

 much longer than the calyx, with the petals of nearly equal lengths. 

 Standard oblong, emarginate, slightly spreading. Wings spreading. 

 Stamens all united together, with the tube entire. Style filiform, 

 curved upwards at the summit. Stigma capitate. Pod oval-oblong, 

 swollen, about as long as the calyx. Seeds few, with the depressed 

 hilum covered by the dilated funiculus. 



Small shrubs, with abortive branches converted into spines. 

 Eirst leaves of young seedlings trifoliate, but all the subsequent 

 ones unifoliate ; on mature plants all linear and terminating in a 

 spine (doubtless a petiole without a lamina). Stipules completely 



