Ononis. \ XXV. PAPILIONACEiE. 105 



the branches all round or chiefly or entirely in two opposite lines ; in 

 dry situations many of the small branches end in a thorn. Leaflets 

 obovate or oblong, the lateral ones smaller or sometimes wanting. 

 Flowers sessile or shortly stalked, solitary, on short branches, or forming 

 short, leafy racemes. Flowers pink, the standard streaked with a deeper 

 shade. Pod shorter or rather longer than the calyx, with 2 or 3 seeds. 

 In barren pastures and poor ill- cultivated fields, throughout Europe 

 and central and Eussian Asia, except the extreme north. Common in 

 Britain. Fl. summer and autumn. A glabrous, more erect, and thorny 

 variety is often admitted as a species, under the name of 0. antiquorum, 

 or 0. campestris. It is more common in the south of Europe than in 

 Britain. [There are two principal British forms of this plant : — 



a. 0. spinosa. Erect, spinous, not foetid, without stolons, leaflets 

 usually narrow, pod equalling the calyx. Absent from Ireland. 



b. 0. repens, Linn. Prostrate or ascending, viscidly villous, stoloni- 

 ferous, spinous or not, leaflets broader, flowers large, pod usually 

 shorter than the calyx. A seaside form.] 



2. O. reclinata, Linn. (fig. 234). Small Ononis. — An erect annual, 

 3 or 4 inches high, slightly hairy, and often viscid, the lateral branches 

 decumbent at the base. Leaflets small, varying from broadly obovate 

 to very narrow. Flowers small, pale pink, hanging from short erect 

 pedicels, forming short, terminal, leafy racemes. Petals scarcely exceed- 

 ing the calyx, or shorter. Pod rather smaller, containing 10 or 12 seeds. 



On sands and dry banks near the sea, very common iound the 

 Mediterranean, and here and there on the shores of the Atlantic, up 

 to Alderney in the Channel Islands, and again on sea cliffs in Devon, 

 and near the Mull of Galloway, on the south-west coast of Scotland. 

 Fl. early summer. 



V. MEDICAGO. MEDICK. 



Herbs (with one exotic shrubby species), with leaves pinnately 

 trifoliolate ; the leaflets usually toothed ; the leafy stipules adhering 

 to the leafstalks ; the flowers small, in short spikes or loose heads, on 

 axillary peduncles. Calyx 5-toothed. Keel obtuse. Stamens diadel- 

 phous, the upper one entirely free. Pod small, with few seeds, very 

 much curved or spirally twisted, and indehiscent. 



A rather numerous genus in the Mediterranean region and a portion 

 of central Asia, with a few species extending as weeds over a great 

 portion of the globe. To determine the annual species it is absolutely 

 necessary to have the fruit, as some cannot be distinguished by any 

 other character. 



Perennials, with conspicuous purple or pale yellow flowers. 

 Stems mostly erect. Flower purple. Pod forming 2 or 3 spires 2. M. sativa. 

 Stems decumbent. Flower pale yellow. Pod not forming a 



complete spire . 1. if. falcata. 



Annuals, with very small, bright yellow flowers. 

 Pod small, 1-seeded, not forming a complete spire . . .3. M. lupulina. 

 Pod several-seeded, spirally twisted, edged with prickles. 



Plant downy. Stipules nearly entire 6. M. minima. 



Plant nearly glabrous. Stipules finely toothed. 

 Pod {nearly globular, of 3 or 4 spires, furrowed at the edge 



between the prickles 5. 31. maculata. 



Pod of 2 or 3 flat, loose, strongly- veined spires, not fur- 

 rowed at the edge 4. M. denticulata. 



