Trifolium subterraneum. Subterraneous Trefoil. 



TRIFOLIUM L'mncei Sen. Ph Diadelphia Decandria; 



Flores fiibcapitatu Legumen vix calycelongius, non dehifcens, deciduum; 

 RaiiSyn.&en. 23. Herbje flore papilionaceo seu legumpnosjE. 



TRIFOLIUM fuhterraneum capitulis villofis fubquinquefloris, coma centrali reflexa rigida fruci:um 

 obvolvente* Linncei Syjl. Vegetah. p. 572. Sp. PI. p. 1080. 



TRIFOLIUM pumiiurri fupintira, flofculis longis albis. Ph. Brit. Rail Syn. p. 327. tah. xiii. jig. 2. 



TRIFOLIUM parvum MonfpefTulanum album cum paucis floribus. L Bauhin. 11. 380. 



TRIFOLIUM album tricoccum ftibterraneurh reticulatum. Morifon. Hifl. Ox. n. 138. s. 11. t. 14. /. 5. 



TRIFOLIUM fuhterraneum feu folliculos fub terram condens. Magnol. Botam Monfp. 265. Gouan Fl. 

 Monfp. p. 198. 

 Hud/on. Fl. Angl. p. 286. ed. 2. p. 328. 



RADIX annua, fimplex, fibrofa. | ROOT annual, Ample, and fibrous. 



CAULES teretes, crafliufculi, rarriofi, procumbentes | STALKS about three inches in length, frequently 

 et terrse velut apprefli, villofi; % much longer, round, thickifh, branched, pro- 



I cumbent, and as it were prefled to the ground j 



I covered with foft hairs. 



STIPULiE ovato-ianceolatze, nervofej* | STIPULIE oval, pointed, and ribbed. 



PETIOLI pedunculis paulo longiores, denfe pilofi. | L&AF-STALKS a little longer than the flower-flalks, 



¥ and thickly covered with hairs. 



FOLIA terna, obcordata, mollia, villofa* integerrima, | LEAVES growing by^ threes, inverfely hearr-fhaped, 

 maculis purpureis faepe variegata. $ foft, villous, intire at the edges, and frequent- 



f ly variegated with purple fpots; 



PEDUNCULI triflori aut quadriflori, peratla floref- | FLOWER-STALKS fupporting three or four flow- 

 centia verfus terram inflexi. ? ers, and bending towards the earth as they 



I decay. 



FLORES albi, longi, procul confpicui. | FLOWERS white, long, and confpicuous at a dif- 



f tance. 



CALYX: Perianthium oblongum, tnbulatum, fu- | CALYX: a Perianthium oblong, tubular, on the 

 perne rubrum,quinquedentatum, dentibus fe- % upper part red, having five longflender hairy 



taceis, pilofis, longitudine tubi, Jig. 8, audi. | teeth the length of the tube, fig. 8, mag. 



COROLLA oblonga, calyce duplo longior, alba : | COROLLA oblong, twice the length of the calyx, 

 Vexillum venis dilute purpureis ftriatum : % white: Standard ftriped with faint purple 



ALiEConniventes, vexillo breviores: Carina | veins: Wings clofing, fhorter than the 



parva, brevis, alis inclufa, fig. 1. % ftandard : Keel fmall, inclofed within the 



I wings, fig. 1. 



PISTILLUM: Germen ovatum: Stylus longus, f PISTILLUM: GERMENoval: Style long, flender, 

 tenuis, adfcendens : Stigma fubrotundum, | afcending: Stigma roundifh, fig. 9. 



jig. 9. I 



PERTCARPIUM: Legumen fubrotundum, mono- % SEED-VESSEL : a roundifh Pod containing one feed, 



fpermum, fig. 6. 1 fig- 6. _ 



SEMEN magnum, nitidum, fpadiceum, fig. 7. ■% SEED large, mining, of a purpliih colour, fig. 7. 



OBS. peradta florefcentia, pedunculi verfus terram de- ¥ OBS. The flowering being over, the flower-ftalks are 

 fle&untur, et filamenta alba radiculis aemula | bent towards the earth, and from their extre- 



extremitatibus fuis exferunt, jig. 2. has vero % mities put forth white filaments like roots, 



terram nequaquam penetrant, at furfum eri- | fig. 2. thefe do not however penetrate the 



guntur, mox apices ftellatim expanduntur, $ earth, but rife upwards, their tips foon ex- 



fig. 3. et demum pericarpia obvolvunt, fig. 5. | panding into little flars, fig. 3* and finally 



* inclofe the feed-veflels, fig. 5. 



NOTWITHSTANDING this plant appears to have obtained its name of fuhterraneum from a mifapprehenfion 

 of its oeconomy, we have chofen to retain it, rather than introduce confufion by altering a name fo long eftablim- 

 ed, efpecially as it has a tendency to excite an enquiry into the hiftory of the plant. 



Ray, in his Hifl. PI. has given a very accurate defcription of this plant, and related every circUmftance which 

 takes place in its oeconomy with his ufual precifion, except the following; " Flofculis delapfis aut marcefcentibus 

 " calices ad pediculum reflec~tuntur et capitula fub terra condunt" Here he afTerts, that the capituli or little heads, 

 are buried in the earth by means of the calyces or flower cups, but does not explain in what manner. In the 

 third edition of his Synopfis, publiihed by Dillenius, in a note added to this plant, contained in a parenthefis, the 

 following account occurs : " Calices flofculis exaridis deorfum tendunt, radicefque extremitatibus fuis agere vi- 

 " dentur, mox vero laciniis eorum furfum verfis pecuiiarihus jihris humo affiguntur^ quo tempore unum alterumve 

 " femen terreni humoris beneficio intumefcit, novasque plantas produ&ioni infervit." Here is an attempt to ac- 

 count for the manner in which the heads are buried, founded however on a miftaken obfervation ; for notwith- 

 standing what authors have related, the feeds are not buried in any unufual way, nor is there any apparatus to efFetl it. 



It muft be allowed, that on the firft examination of this plant, one would be tempted to think that young roots 

 did a&ually fpring from fome part of the feed as it lay on the ground connected with the plant ; but a more ftridt 

 obfervation would difcover, that thofe white filaments which have the appearance of roots, were not roots in reali- 

 ty ; that they fprung from the end of the foot-ftalk which fupports the flowers, and not from either the calyx or 

 feed ; that inftead of penetrating into the earth, they foon turned upward, put on a ftar-like appearance at their ex- 

 tremities, and finally inclofed the feed-veflels in a kind of prickly head. 



There is certainly fomething very extraordinary in this procefs of nature, yet it does not appear to be ufeful in 

 any other way, than as affording fome kind of fecurity to the feeds, which have not that thick coriaceous covering 

 afforded to many of the Trefoils. 



This fpecies, from thefe Angular circumftances, is eafily diitinguifhed from the others. It is not mentioned ei- 

 ther by Haller, Scopoli, or Linnaeus in his FL Suecic. but occurs in Gouan's Fl. Monfpeliac. 



It grows with us in expofed gravelly fituations, particularly on heaths, and is diftmguifhable even at a diflance 

 by its white bloflbms. It occurs on manv parts of Black-heath ; and flowers in June, July, and Auguft. 



