■WAYSIDE WEKDS; 41 



"form of seediTessel the whole of these Vetch and 

 pea • plants have taken theii' family name of Legu- 

 minoua Plants; albeit they have another name, 

 taken from the fancied resemblance of some of the 

 •pea-blossoms to a butterfly, and hence they are 

 sometimes called Papilionaceous Plants^ The pe- 

 culiar form of these butterfly-like petals has pro- 

 cured for them the names which are appended to 

 the figure (Fig- 31). Tou can scarcely see one of 

 these leguminous plants again without knowing its 

 social status in the botanical world, and recognizing 

 it as a member of a very important family — quite 

 one of the most so in Flora's kingdom. Most im- 

 portant to man, seeing that from it he draws such a 

 number of articles which are almost indispensable to 

 his comfortable existence. The trefoils or clovers, 

 the vetches and the lucerne which fodder his cattle, 

 and the peasj beans, lentils and pulses which feed 

 himself, all come from the leguminous or pod-bearing 

 tribe ; the valuable dyesj indigo and logwood, and 

 the drugs gum-arabic, senna, and catechu aro like- 

 wise its products. Lastly, look at the leaves of qui' 

 leguminous frjends (Fig. 34) j but of these we shall 

 sp6ak in a future lesson. Sufilpe it to point out 

 here that they are what botanists cajl compound, 

 that they are characteristic as suchj especiaUy 

 with the superaddition, to manyj of the tendrils 

 (Fig. 34). 



With distinct . petalsj with petals and stamens 



