Trifoliwn.] leguminos^. 123 



straight into the edge of the leaflet without any mai'ginal connecting vein. Peti- 

 oles spreading or diverging, very hairy, semiterete, slightly channelled above, the 

 lower ones usually much the longest (in the larger plants 2, 3 or 4 inches in 

 length) mostly flexuose or curved in various degrees and directions. Stipules very 

 large, erect, broadly ovate, acute or shortly acuminate, entire, submembranaceous, 

 more or less hairy without, glabrous within, strongly ribbed and stained with pur- 

 ple below, green at top, connate and clasping at base, and adnate with the petiole 

 for a considerable distance upwards. Flowers of two kinds, terminating the 

 peduncles, the inner and central one abortive, assuming during the blossoming of 

 the perfect ones the appearance of a green, conical, bud-like protuberance, seated 

 on the axis of the peduncle and surrounded by the perfect flowers, which then 

 conceal it from view. As the perfect flowers advance to maturity and begin to go 

 off', the above bud-like protuberance enlarges, and expands into a head of several, 

 stellately spreading, partly deflexed, white, fleshy, tapering processes (abortive 

 calyces), by which the calyces of the perfect flowers are strongly bent towards the 

 earth. These fleshy processes finally emit from their apices 5 spreading points like 

 stars (rudimentary calyx-teeth). Perfect flowers in small, terminal, subumbellate 

 clusters, of from 2 to 5 in each, erect or parallel as regards their position with 

 each other, finally spreading, but appearing horizontal or ascending, from the 

 decumbent direction of their curved and very hairy common peduncle, which is 

 usually about as long as the cluster it bears. Calyx nearly sessile, slender, about 

 3 lines in length, the limb whitish, tubular, cylindrical, scarcely inflated, glabrous, 

 without ribs, the summit very oblique, and terminating in 5 slender, subulate, 

 green, hairy teelh, of nearly equal length, the 3 lowermost scarcely exceeding the 

 2 uppermost, which are separated by a very deep broad and rounded sinus from 

 each other ; all 5 at first erect, finally spreading or recurved, about equal in length 

 to the tube of the calyx. Corolla about twice the length of the calyx, narrow, 

 quite glabrous, white or cream-coloured with a tinge of green on the claws of the 

 petals, which are very long and narrow, and cohere together into a tube somewhat 

 exceeding the calyx-teeth ; standard strongly conduplicate and incumbent on the 

 keel and wings, slightly ascending, oblongo-obovate, entire or slightly emarginate, 

 striated with distant pai'allel purple lines,* sometimes suff'used with a very faint 

 tinge of rose-red all over ; wings shorter than the standard but longer than the 

 keel, parallel, oblongo-obovate, entire, concave, with an obtuse sac-like spur or pro- 

 jection above the very narrow and slender claw for the reception of the keel ; keel 

 shorter than the wings, greenish white, obovate, concave, slightly pointed and 

 cohering together, quite enclosing the stamens and style. Stamens in 2 sets, the 

 tube of the larger set open its whole length ; filaments flattened, somewhat dilated 

 into an oblong shape at summit, especially the lowermost one, and bearing the 

 anther on a minute apiculus. Style about the length of the longer stamens, gla- 

 brous, ascending at the end, subcapitate. 



Conspicuous in the early part of the summer, from its long white flowers 

 covering the turf in patches. 



c. Heads many-flowered, compact. Calyx remarkably inflated afterflowei-ing, 

 and arched above. 



10. T. fragiferum, L. Strawberry -headed Trefoil. " Heads 

 with a multifid involucre as long as the calyx at the base globose 

 upon long axillary stalks, calyx after flowering inflated membra- 

 naceous reticulated downy with the 2 upper teeth bent down, stem 

 creeping, leaflets obcordate serrated." — Br. Fl. p. 103. E. B. t. 

 1050. 



* Koch in Rohling's Deut^chl. Fl. says bright rose-red, but I have never seen 

 such a variety here. The corolla when "fading assumes a red colour, which may 

 have given origin to the assertion. 



