PHANEROGAMS— PROFESSOR BAYLEY BALFOUR. 69 



Annua ; foliis trifoliolatis, foliolis obovato-cuneatis, terminali longe petiolato ; inflorescentia' 

 capitato-racemosa 2-5-flora foliis brevior; calycis laciniis linearibus tubo multobrevior- 

 ibus ; stylo ovario multobreviore ; leguinine falcato longo tenui. 



Herba ramosa ramis subdecumbentibus parum elongatis quadrangulis striatis glabris. Folia 

 1\ poll, longa trifoliolata, petiolo capillari £-§ poll, longo ; foliola membranacea obovato- 

 cuneata dentata ssepe emarginata sparsini birta, terminali maximo cum petiolulo ^ poll, 

 longo. Stipidce semisagittatse, inferiors basi unilateraliter arete incisse. Ehachis infloves- 

 centise \-^ poll, longa filiformis hirtella foliis brevior apice ultra 2-5 flores croceos 

 brevissime pedicellatos aristata ; pedicelli ^ poll, longi. Calyx \ poll, longus pilis paucis 

 adpressis vestitus, laciniis linearibus § lin. longis. Corolla l poll, longa ; vexillum ungui- 

 culatum ellipticum. Ovarium ^ poll, longum compressum lineare pubescens ; stylus 

 ^2 P°lb longus. Zegumen valde arcuatum lineare leviter compressum fere 1 poll, longum 

 2^ poll, latum subglabrum (juvenili birtello) nervis duobus suturalibus validis lateri- 

 busque oblique elevatim nervoso-reticulatis. Semina 12 oblonga levia. 



Socotra. Sandy places. B.C.S. n. 665. 



Distrib. Endemic. 



A species nearly allied to T. hamosa, Linn. (Sp. 1094 ; Sibth. Fl. Grsec. t. 

 764), a native of Nile Land, Egypt, and the Cape, but not found further eastwards, 

 unless T. uncata, Boiss. et Noe (Diagn. ser. ii. 2. 12 ; Boiss. Flor. Orient, ii. 84), 

 be the same species. This latter one, which is found through Syria, Persia, 

 and Afghanistan, differs from T. hamosa only in the calyx, which has lacinise 

 about ^ the length of the tube, whilst in T. hamosa the calyx tube is only 

 slightly toothed. 



The Socotran plant resembles most Boissier's species, as it has calyx lobes 

 nearly half the length of the tube, but it differs from both of them in the short 

 peduncles of the inflorescence, the style greatly shorter than the ovary, and in 

 the long thin many-seeded pods, and upon all of these characters the species is 

 constituted. 



4. MEDICAGO. 



Medicago, Linn. Gen. n. 899 ; Benth. et Hook. Gen. PL i. 487. 



A considerable genus, ranging through Europe, western Asia, and northern 

 Africa, and containing several species introduced and now common weeds in 

 many parts of the world. The three Socotran species have a wide distribution, 

 almost that of the genus. 



M. denticulata, Willd. Sp. iii. 1414 ; DC. Prod. ii. 176 ; Baker in Oliv. 

 Flor. Trop. Afr. ii. 51, and in Hook. Flor. Brit. Tnd. ii. 90 ; Boiss. Flor. Orient, 

 ii. 102 ; Syme Eng. Bot. t. 338. 



Socotra. Common on the plains. B.C.S, n. 666. 

 Distrib. Northern hemisphere of the old world. 



The Socotran plant appears to be the form described by Willdenow as M. 

 apiculata, having short spines and few spires to the fruit. 



