ia 
Medicago.] XXV. PAPILIONACEZ. 107 
annual, so like the last in foliage, stipules, and flowers, that, without 
the fruit, it can be scarcely distinguished but by a few spreading hairs 
on the leafstalks, visible when held up against the light. It is often 
also more luxuriant, the leaflets have usually a dark spot in the centre, 
_ and the flowers are fewer in the raceme. The pod has 3 or 4 spires, 
much more compact than in M. denticulata, giving the whole pod a more 
globular form, the surface is less veined, and the edge thicker, more or 
less furrowed between the prickles, which are finer and more curved. 
M. arabica, All. 
In cultivated and waste places, in weshera and southern Europe to the 
Caucasus and Persia, rarely extending into Germany. Not uncommon, 
especially in southern England ; found also in southern Ireland, but 
not in Scotland. Jl. spring and summer. 
6. M. minima, Lam. (fig. 240). Bur M@.—An annual, like the last 
two, but usually smaller and more compact, and clothed with short, 
soft hairs or down. Stipules entire or very shortly toothed. Flowers 
few, minute, on short peduncles. Pod smaller than in the last two 
species, nearl y globular, of 2, 3, or 4 compact spires edged each with 
a double row of hooked prickles. 
In open pastures and waste places, widely spread over Europe and 
western Asia, extending northwards to southern Sweden. Rare in 
Britain, and only in some of the southern and eastern counties of 
England. Fl. spring and summer. Like other species, it varies much 
in the size of the pods and the length of the prickles; in Britain they 
are usually small. 
VI. MELILOTUS. MELILOT. 
Herbs with leaves pinnately trifoliolate, the leafiets usually toothed, 
the stipules slightly adhering to the leafstalks, and small yellow or 
white flowers, in long, loose racemes on axillary peduncles. Calyx 5- 
toothed. Petals falling off after fading, the keel obtuse. Stamens 
diadelphous, the upper one entirely free. Pod of 1 or very few seeds, 
straight, thick, small, but longer than the calyx, and indehiscent. 
A genus of few species, all south Kuropean or west Asiatic, but some 
spreading over most parts of the world. They were formerly united 
with 7rifolium, but their inflorescence gives them a very different 
aspect. From T'rigonella they differ chiefly in the short, thick pod, 
usually with only 1 or 2 seeds, 
Flowers white ; ‘ ; ‘ : , ; . &. M. alba. 
Flowers yellow. 
Pod irregularly net-veined and wrinkled. Stem usually 2 or 
3 feet high . . LM, officinalis. 
Pod Restoriety wrinkled. Stem usually under 2 feet high . 2. M. arvensis. 
The MZ. parviflora, Desf., common in almost all warm countries, espe- 
cially near the sea, has appeared occasionally as an introduced weed 
in the neighbourhood of London and of Liverpool. It is near M. 
officinalis, but a smaller weaker plant, the flowers and fruits very much 
smaller, the pod very obtuse and prominently net-veined. 
1. M officinalis, Willd. (fig. 241). Common M.—Anannual or biennial, 
usually erect, 2, 38, or even 4 feet high, branched and glabrous; the 
leaves usually distant, ‘on long leafstalks. Stipules narrow. Leaflets 
of the lower leaves obovate or nearly orbicular, those of the upper ones 
