LEGUMINOS^ 119 



Distrihution. — Central and Southern Europe ; Maritime Alps, 

 Liguria, Tessin only in Switzerland. W. Asia. 



It also turns rather black on being dried. 



Several more species grow in the southern hills and lower 

 mountciins, e.g. C. sessilifolius L. (not Swiss), C. nigricans L., C. 

 supinus L., and C. elongaius Waldst. at Kit. (not Swiss). 



Ononis L. Rest-harrow. 



Herbs or low undershrubs, with pinnately trifohate or rarely 

 simple lea,ves; leaflets generally toothed, stipules leafy; the 

 flowers solitary on axillary peduncles, often forming leafy racemes. 

 Calyx with 5 narrow segments. Standard large and striate. Keel 

 ending in a pointed beak. Pod inflated, with few seeds. 



A numerous genus chiefly from the Mediterranean region. 

 Ononis rotundifolia L. 



Pubescent-glandular. Stem about a foot high, erect or ascending. 

 Leaves large, trifoliate, petioled, with orbicular or oval toothed 

 leaflets. Flowers rose-coloured, large, 2-3 on axillary peduncles, 

 terminated by a mucro. Corolla twice as long as the calyx. Pod 

 25-30 mm. by 6-7, drooping, glandular, hairy, with 5-9 seeds. 



Stony places in limestone mountains up to 5700 feet. May to 

 August. 



Distribution. — Eastern, Central, and Western Alps from France 

 to Carinthia. Pyrenees and Spain. 



Ononis Matrix L. (Plate XVI.) 



A robust very viscous plant, 1-2 feet high. Stem-leaves trifoliate, 

 petioled ; leaflets oboval or oblong, slightly toothed. Stipules oval- 

 lanceolate. Flowers lemon-yeUow streaked with red, large, in 

 dense leafy heads. Lobes of calyx much longer than the tube. 

 Pod 15-20 mm. by 2-4 mm., broadly linear, hairy. 



Stony or sandy places from the plains up to about 5000 feet in 

 the Swiss Alps ; and sometimes, as in the Rhone Valley, so plentiful 

 as to be mown for fodder. 



It flowers from May to July, according to situation. 



Distribution. — Central and Southern Europe, including most of 

 France (Eastern Pyrenees at about 3000 feet). Western Asia, 

 N. Africa. 



Trifolium L. Clover. 



Herbs with stipules adhering to the leaf-stalks. Leaves trifoliate ; 

 leaflets often toothed. Flowers in dense capitate heads. Calyx 

 5-toothed. Petals narrow, usually remaining round the pod after 

 fading. Stamens diadelphous, the upper ones entirely free. Pod 

 scarcely protruding beyond the calyx, containing from 1-4 seeds. 



A numerous and widely spread genus, particularly in the northern 

 hemisphere. 



