426 



LEGUMINOS^ 



are given off. The leaves have very long petioles and small 

 ovate membranous-pointed stipules. 



The round flower-heads are produced at the ends of long 



stalks, which arise in the 

 axils of the leaves and 

 grow upwards (Fig. 131). 



The flowers are white or 

 pinkish ; when the corolla 

 fades it turns brown, and 

 the whole flower becomes 

 deflexed. 



The fruit is an elongated 

 pod containing from four 

 to six small seeds. 



Fig. 132 illustrates the 

 early stages of growth of 

 a seedling, which may be 

 taken as typical of all the 

 cultivated clovers. 



Two varieties of white 

 clover are met with in 

 commerce, namely, (i) 'Wild White,' and (2) 'Cultivated 

 WMte Clover.' The former is of smaller growth and more 

 lasting than the latter. 



White clover is more permanent than either red clover or 

 alsike, and grows upon almost all soils ; the yield however is 

 comparatively small. 



It is sometimes grown alone for sheep food, but its chief use 

 is in mixtures for laying down pastures for grazing purposes. 



12. Crimson or Italian Clover: Trifolium {Trifolium incar- 

 tiatutn L.). — An annual species, with erect hairy stems from i to 2 

 feet high. The stipules of the leaves are broad and the free 

 part is rounded, often with a dark purple margin (3, Fig. 128). 

 The flower-heads are terminal, and placed some distance above 



Fig. 131, — Portion of white clover plant, showing 

 the * creeping ' habit of the stem, r Adventitious 

 root. 



