120 
In pastures, on banks, &c., chiefly in limestone districts, in central and 
southern, especially western Europe, not extending to northern Germany. 
Abundant in some parts of England, extending to the south of os 
but not to Ireland. Fl. spring and sumier. 
XV. ONOBRYCHIS. SAINFOIN. 
Herbs, with pinnate leaves, without tendrils, and spikes of flowers 
usually pink, on long axillary peduncles. Stamens diadelphous, the 
upper one quite free. Pod sessile, flat, hard, 1-seeded and indehiscent, 
strongly veined or pitted, and usually either prickly, crested, or 
winged. 
A genus of several species, chiefly from the eastern Mediterranean 
region and west central Asia, very distinct from any other British — 
Peaflower, but only differing from Hedysarum (a large European and 
Asiatic genus, which includes the so-called Mrench Honeysuckle of our 
gardens) in the pods being reduced to a single article. 
1. O. sativa, Lam. (fig. 277). Common Sainfoin.—Stock perennial, 
but of fewyears’ duration, with several ascending stems, 1 to 14 or rarely 
2feet long. Stipules brown, thin, and finely pointed. Leaflets numerous, 
oblong, slightly downy underneath, glabrous above. Peduncles longer 
than the leaves, bearing in their upper half a spike of pale pink flowers, 
at first closely packed, but lengthening out as the flowering advances. 
Calyx-teeth long and slender. Wings of the corolla shorter than the 
keel and standard. Pod twice as long as the calyx, the upper edge 
nearly straight, the lower semicircular, bordered with short teeth, some- 
times prickly, the flat surface marked with raised veins. O. viciefolia, 
Scop. 
In limestone districts, in central and southern Europe, and temperate 
Asia; much cultivated for forage, and occasionally naturalised further 
northward. In Britain, believed to be truly indigenous in southern and 
eastern England, but not recorded from Ireland. Fl. early summer. 
AVI. VICIA. VETCH. 
Herbs, with weak stems, often slightly climbing, half-sagittate stipules, 
and pinnate leaves; the leaflets usually numerous: the common leafstalk 
ending in a simple or branched tendril, or at least in a small point. 
Flowers in the axils of the leaves, solitary, clustered, or in pedunculate 
racemes, blue, purplish, white, or pale yellow. Petals usually rather 
‘narrow. Upper stamen quite free, or connected with the others, at least 
inthe middle. Style cylindrical or slightly flattened, with a tuft of hairs 
below the stigma on the outer side, or shortly downy all round under the 
stigma, or rarely quite glabrous. Pod more or less flattened, opening in 
2 valves, with several, or rarely only 2 seeds, either globular or slightly 
flattened. 
A numerous venus, widely spread, but most abundant in temperate 
regions ; in the tropics almost confined to mountain districts, and un- 
known in Australia. The tendrils distinguish it from all our Leguminonus 
plants, except ZLathyrus, from which it is absolutely separated chiefly 
by the style; but also in all our species, except V. bithynica, the more 
numerous and smaller leaflets, and the general shape of the flowers, give _ 
