MIDDLESEX PLOEA. 25 



flowers yellow, a line long, nearly sessile. Native of the Mediter- 

 ranean region, now widely naturalized in warm countries, and 

 common in California. Cattle are fond of it." Bot. Cal. 



M. orFiciNALis, Willd. Yello-w Melilot. 

 Groton, Cambridge, Maiden, et al. Occasional in waste grounds. 

 June-Sept. Nat. from Eu. 



M. ALBA, Lam. Sweet Clover. White Melilot. 



Maiden, Medford, Westford, et al. Sometimes found growing in 

 dense patches in out of the way places, apparently well established, 

 June-Sept. Nat. from Eu. 



Medicago, L. 



M. sativa, Z. Luceene. Alfalfa. 

 Cambridge, spontaneous in vegetable gardens ; Maiden, spreading 

 beyond garden limits (Sylves ter Baxter) . This plant has a tendency 

 to die out when cultivation ceases, and can scarcely be said to have 

 effected a settlement. July-Aug. Int. from Eu. 



M. LUPULiNA, L. Black Med'ick. Nonesuch. 



Common in the eastern part of the county. June-Sept. Nat. 

 from Eu. 



M. maoulata, Willd. Spotted Mediok. 



Lowell, woollen-mill yards ; Chelmsford, in a field dressed with 

 wool-waste (Dr. C. W. Swan) ; Somerville (C. E. Perkins) ; N. 

 Chelmsford, wool-waste (Kev. W. P. Alcott). This was erro- 

 neously given as M. denticulata in Mr. Alcott's list. Adv. from Eu. 



M. denticulata, Willd. 

 Lowell, Billerica, and Dracut, woollen-mill yards ; the commonest 

 Medick of the mill yard, except possibly M. lupulina (Dr. C. W. 

 Swan). Adv. from Eu. 



M. lappacea. Lam. 

 Westford, wool-waste (Dr. C. W. -Swan) . Adv. from Eu. 

 "Smoothish; stems procumbent ; leaflets obcordate, dentate; stip- 

 ules ciliate-dentate ; peduncles 3-5 flowered ; pods spiral, smooth, 

 of three whorls, obliquely flexuous-nerved, margins aculeate, spines 

 long, hooked; seeds reniform, subtruncate, yellow." DC. Prodr. 

 n. 177. 



M. laciniata, All. 

 Lowell, " dumps " (Dr. C. W. Swan). Adv. from Eu. 

 " Stem erect ; leaflets linear, incised-dentate, truncate ; stipules 

 ciliate-dentate ; peduncles 1-2-flowered ; pods spiral, sub-globose, 

 very spiny, spines erect, subulate, hooked, compressed-canaliculate ; 

 margin thick, not sulcate nor zoned; seeds oblong-reniform." 

 DC. Prodr. n. 180. 



