10 



BULLETIN 428, U. S. DEPARTMEISTT OF AGBICTJLTURE. 



name falcata in reality applied to the hybrid forms most closely 

 resembling Medicago falcata. 



In 1694 Tournefort (5P), following in a general way the classifica- 

 tion of Rivinus for the Medica group, took up the old generic name 



Medicafloreluteo. 



759 



Medica for the plants 

 with screw-shaped 

 pods and coined a 

 new one, Medicago, 

 for those having pods 

 shaped like a collar. 

 Both Medicago 

 sativa and Medicago 

 falcata were included 

 by him under Med- 

 ica, the former as 

 Medica Tnajor erec- 

 tior florihus purpu- 

 rascentihus and the 

 latter as Medica syl- 

 vestre. It is appar- 

 ent that he intended 

 Medicago radiata L. 

 to illustrate the type 

 of his genus Medi- 

 cago. From his clas- 

 sification it is quite 

 evident that the dis- 

 tinguishing character 

 which Tournefort 

 had uppermost in his 

 mind was the shape 

 of the pod. He was 

 not consistent, there- 

 fore, in placing Med- 

 icago falcata in the 

 genus Medica, since 

 the true form of it 

 does not have the 

 spiral or screw- 

 shaped pod which 



characterizes his genus. Possibly his knowledge of Medicago falcata 



was confined to the hybrid forms having loosely coiled pods, in which 



case his arrangement is partially justified. 



In 1700 Tournefort {60) simplified the description of his genera 



somewhat and added varieties of his Medica major erectior (Medi- 



FiG. 2. — Probably the first figure of Medicago falcata ever 

 published. Copied from Clusius, Historia, 1583 edition, 

 where it first appeared. 



