PAPILIONACEiE. 175 



Prance to the Cliannel Islands, and to the Scilly Isles off the coast of 

 Cornwall. Fl. spring, and often again towards autumn. 



XIV. BIRD'S-FOOT. OENITHOPUS. 



Slender, spreading, haiiy annuals, with pinnate leaves and axillary pe- 

 duncles, bearing a head, or umbel, of very few small, pink, or white flowers, 

 with a pinnate leaf at their base. Stamens diadelphous, the upper one 

 quite free. Pod narrow, much longer than the calyx, shghtly flattened, 

 separating, when ripe, into several 1-seeded articles. 



A genus of very few, chiefly south European, species, only differing from 

 Coronilla by the slightly flattened pod, and by the leaf on the peduncle, 

 under the flowers. 



1. Common Bird's-foot. Omithopus perpusillus, Liuu. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 369.) 



Stems spreading on the ground, or shghtly ascending, to the length of 6 

 or eight inches. Leaflets 5 to 10, or sometimes more, pairs, with an odd 

 one, smaU, oval or oblong, and softly hairy, the lowest pair close to tlie 

 stem. Flowers usually 2 or 3 only on the peduncle, closely sessile over a 

 small, pinnate leaf ; the keel short and obtuse. Pods slightly downy, about 

 6 lines long, ending in a curved beak ; the articles short and oval. 



In dry pastures, in central and southern Europe, scarcely extending to 

 its eastern limits, and northward only into southern Sweden. Abundant 

 in many parts of England and Ireland, less so in Scotland. Fl. spnng and 

 summer. 



XV. HIPPOCREFIS. HIPPOCE.EPIS. 



Herbs or low shrubs, usually glabrous, with pinnate leaves and axillary 

 peduncles, bearing an xmibel of yellow flowers, without any leaf. Stamens 

 diadelphous, the upper one quite free. Pod much flattened, of numerous 

 articles, each of them curved Hke a horseshoe, so that the pod has as many 

 deep notches on one side. 



A genus of but few species, chiefly natives of south-western Europe. In 

 flower they cannot well be distinguished from Coronilla, but the pod is very 

 different. 



1. Common Hippocrepis. Hippocrepis comosa, Linn. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 31.) 



Stock perennial, with numerous stems branching at the base, and either 

 short and tufted, or spreading along the ground to the length of 6 inches to 

 a foot. Leaflets 9 to 15, small, obovate, oblong, or linear, and glabrous, the 

 lowest pan* at a distance from the stem. Flowers 5 to 8 in the umbel, re- 

 sembUng those of the common Lotus, and with nearly the same pointed 

 keel, but rather smaller and paler. Pod about an inch long, ending in a 

 fine point, the notches of the inner edge broad and deep. 



In pastures, on banks, etc., chiefly in hmestone districts, in central and 

 southern, especially western Em-ope, not extending to northern Germany. 



