LUCERNE OR PURPLE MEDICK 429 



and crimson clovers. Note which are upright growers and which are 

 creeping. 



Malce drawings of the stipules, and also note any differences of form and 

 colour of the leaflets in each species. 



Ex. 225. — Sow seeds of the above-mentioned clovers in garden soil or in 

 pots in spring, and observe the form of the cotyledons, the relative size of 

 the hypocotyl and root in the young seedlings. Watch the development of 

 young plants up to the time of flowering, noting particularly the production 

 of branches in each species. 



Ex. 226. — Compare the flowers, fruits, and seeds of the chief clovers. Note 

 the manner of dehiscence in the several pods, and the number of seeds in 

 each. 



Medicks (Genus Medkago.) 



15. Black Medick : Nonsuch. Clover: Hop-Trefoil, Yellow 

 Trefoil {Medkago lupulina L.). — An annual or biennial plant 

 wild on waste ground all over the country, especially in cal- 

 careous districts. 



Tlie stems are much branched, from 6 inches to 2 feet long ; 

 the lower parts spread over the surface of the ground but do not 

 develop adventitious roots ; the upper parts are ascending. 

 The leaves are trifoliate and the leaflets have a projecting mid- 

 rib which distinguishes the plant from the soniewhat similar 

 yellow suckling and hop-clover. The flowers are yellow in small 

 compact oval flower-heads. 



The fruit is a kidney-shaped, indehiscent black pod about an 

 eighth of an inch across with a spirally curved tip ; it contains 

 a single seed. 



Black Medick is sometimes sown alone on poor calcareous soils 

 and used for sheep and lamb food. In suitable districts where 

 the soil is dry and inferior, a small amount is a useful addition 

 to grass mixtures for short leys. Occasionally a small quantity 

 is sown with sainfoin to increase the bulk of produce during the 

 first year when the sainfoin is not fully established. 



16. Lucerne or Purple Medick {Medkago sativa L.). — A per- 

 ennial introduced plant with erect branched stems i to 3 feet high. 



