LEGUMINIFER^. 79 



2 indies long-; leaflots oval or elliptical, 4 to ^ inch long, rather 

 distant. Stipules extremely small, deltoid, often scarcely discernible 

 in the lower leaves. Peduncles lilirorm, about as long as the leaves. 

 Flowers ;j- inch long, bright-yellow with red streaks. Calyx very 

 long and slender, cylindrical-funnel-shaped. Pods not diverging, 

 f to 1 inch long, curved upwards into a bow, breaking into 10 or 

 14) indehiscent l-seeded joints, the last one attenuated into a beak, 

 but generally bearing a seed at the base. Plant dull glaucous-green, 

 sub-glabrous, with a few adpressed hairs on the leaves (especially 

 on their midribs) and the upper part of the stem. 



Sand BinVs-Foot. 



French, Ornitliape sans Bractees. 



GUNUS XIV— B. IPPOCREPIS. Linn. 



Calyx campanulate, with 5 teeth ; teeth sub-equal, with the 2 

 upper ones united to their middle. Standard with the lamina spread- 

 ing, orbicular, attenuated into a slender claw distant from those 

 of the other petals ; keel large, terminating in an acuminate beak 

 directed towards the standard. Stamens diadelphous, with the alter- 

 nate filaments dilated towards the apex. Pod much compressed, 

 straight or curved, articulated, breaking into numerous indehiscent 

 l-seeded joints, which are more or less deeply notched on the 

 upper side, with a raised band surrounding the notch in the form 

 of a horse-shoe, smooth except on the raised portion, which is often 

 clothed with minute raised j)oints. 



Herbs or undershrubs. Leaves with numerous pairs of pinnae, 

 and stipules slightly adnate to the petioles. Flowers yellow, gene- 

 rally in umbellate stalked axillary heads, more rarely solitary or 

 in pairs. 



The derivation of the name of this genus is from Imroc (hippos), a horse, and iovtic 

 (krepis), a shoe, in reference to the shajie of the recesses of the pods, which are curved 

 in such a manner as to resemble a chain of horse-shoes. 



SPECIES I.— HIPPOCREPIS COMOSA. Linn. 

 Plate CCCLXXX. 

 Rootstock much branched. Stems very numerous, decumbent, 

 much branched, and somewhat woody at the base. Peduncles 

 longer than the leaves. Pod curved downwards, undulated on the 

 lower margin, deeply notched on the upper opposite each seed, and 

 having on the sides over each seed a crescent-shaped raised pro- 

 tuberance covered with minute rough points.' 



