Aporanthus.] legcminos.*;. 117 



in a sandy cnrnfield by Tinker's Hole and nearly opposite Cliff farm. At Vent- 

 nov, Dr. Martin. 



(V.Med.—C\over-(a.\\ovi near Kingston, and a specimen or two in the same 

 situation near Luecombe. 



I confess ll)is appears to me a very slight variety only of the common yellow 

 Melilot, differing merely in the colour and rather smaller size of the flowers. 



VIII. Apoeanthus, Nob.* Bird's-foot Trefoil. 



1. A. Trifoliastrvm, Nob. Bird's -foot Trefoil. " Peduncles 

 about 3-flowered, legumes compressed about 8 - seeded nearly 

 twice as long as the calyx, leaflets obcordate toothed at the 

 extremity; stems decumbent." Trigonella oruithopodioides, DC. 

 Br. Fl. p. 99. Trifolium, L. : E. B. t. 1047. Curt. FL Lond. i. 

 fasc. 2, t. 53. 



On dry, short, gravelly or sandy pastures and banks ; apparently rare, but pro- 

 bably only from escaping notice by its diminutive size. Fl. May, June. 0. 



E. Med. — On the spit below St. Helen's. On the short -turf above the beach 

 between Sandown and the fort abundantly, as also by the descent to the King's 

 Head Inn from the high road on the North side. On the Dover, Ryde, shown 

 me there by Mr. Wm. JoUiffe. [On the shore ol the harbour at Bembridge, near 

 the bathing-house of Bembridge Lodge, A. G. More, Esq., Edrs.] 



A minute plant, very different in structure from the following genus, often grow- 

 ing in small casspitose patches, and liable where Trifolium sublerraneum abounds 

 to be overlooked for a dwarf state of that plant. Root whitish, simple, tapering 

 and fibrous, beset, as is frequent in plants of this natural order, with little fleshy 

 excrescences. Stems a few inches long at most, numerous, prostrate, rounded, 

 simple or branched, scarred, hollow in the centre, leafy and glabrous, in all my 

 specimens sending out simple fleshy fibres beneath for some distance from the 

 root which strike into the earth. Leaves on long footstalks that are flattened but 

 scarcely channelled above, of 3 very small, inversely heart-shaped or obovale, 

 shortly stalked leaflets, with sharp, distant, mucronate, denticulate serratures, 

 entire near the base, quite glabrous, with straight parallel veins and a very thick 

 prominent midrib at the back. Stipules at the base of the petioles, sheathing the 

 peduncles and amplexicaul, ovato-lanceulate, membranous, with long, taper, ribbed 

 and very acute points. Peduncles axillary, solitary, compressed, 1-, 2-, or 

 3-flowered, various in length, usually much shorter than the leaves. Pedicels 

 very short, a little hairy, with a minute, white, unequally toothed, sheath-like 

 hract at the base of each. Flowers small, flesh-coloured or nearly white. Calyx 

 slender, tubular, slightly hairy, 10-ribbed, the teeth long, linear-lanceolate, equi- 

 distant, with very slender acute points, dark green, with a single rib and pale 

 edges, the 4 superior equal in length, the lowermost a very little shorter ; all a lit- 

 tle curved upwards. Corolla narrow, nearly double the lenpth of the calyx, closely 

 conduplicate, striated, without a distinct claw ; wings and heel abruptly narrowed 

 into veiy long, extremely slender, uncombined claws. Legumes oblong, very 

 obtuse, a little compressed and curved, slightly hairy, tipped with the style, con- 

 siderably exceeding the closely investing permanent calyx, and widely dehiscing 



* [It is much to be regretted that the lamented author had not drawn up a 

 description of his newly constituted genus Aporanthus. For convenience we 

 quote from the ' British Flora' of Hooker and Arnolt the characters of Trigonella, 

 to which genus the author's species is referred by them, as well as by DeCaudoUe. 

 —Edrs.l 



" Trigonella, Linn. Calyx 5-toothed ; teeth nearly equal. Petals distinct ; 

 keel obtuse. Ovary many-seeded. Legume straight or slightly curved, many- 

 seeded, much longer than the calyx, 2-valved. — Flowers in few or many-flowered 

 heads, or short racemes. Leaves trifoliate.'^ — Sr. Fl. 



