646 
DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA. 
Class XVII. 
1605. MEDIC A' GO. W. 
10890 arborea JV. 
10891 cretacea W. en. 
10892 sat'iva W. 
10893 glomerata W. en. 
10894 glutinosa Bieb. 
10895 prostrata W. 
10896 bracJiycarpa Bieb. 
10897 falcata W. 
10898 lupulina fV. 
10899 obscura W. 
10900 orbicularis IV. 
10901 marginata W. en. 
10902 elegans TV. 
10905 scutellata JV. 
10904 Helix JV. 
10905 tornata JV. 
10906 turbinata TV. 
10907 tuberculata TV. 
10908 aculeata TV. 
10909 granadensis TV. en. 
10910 Murex TV. 
10911 intertexta TV. 
10912 ciliaris TV. 
10913 carstiensis TV. 
10914 maculata TV. 
10915 coronata TV. 
10916 apiculata JV. 
10917 tentaculata TV. 
Medick. 
Moon-Trefoil 
shrubby 
I.ucern 
clustered 
clammy 
prostrate 
short-podded 
yellow 
Nonesuch 
doubtful 
flat-podded 
margined 
elegant 
Snail 
many-fl.-Snail 
or 8 
cu 
smooth-podded.^ O cu 
Turban ' ~ 
wart-podded 
spiny 
Spanish 
prickly 
hedgehog 
fringed 
creeping-rooted^ 
spotted 
crowned 
tufted ^ 
bur-podded Jic 
O 
A 
A cu 
O cu 
A cu 
O cu 
A ag 
O ag 
O cu 
O cu 
O cu 
O cu 
O cu 
O cu 
O 
O 
O 
O 
O 
O 
O 
O 
A 
O 
O 
O 
O 
Leguminosa;. 
my.n Y 
4 jl 
2 jn.jl 
1 jn.jl 
I jnjl 
f Jn-Jl 
ir 
1 my.au 
1 jl.au 
1 ji.au 
1 jl.au 
1 jl.au 
1 jn.au 
1 jn.au 
1 jn.au 
1 jn.au 
1 jn.au 
1 jn.au 
f jn.au 
1 jn.au 
1 jn.au 
1 jl.au 
1 jii-jl 
H my-jn 
1 jn.jl 
1 jn.jl 
1 jn.jl 
Y 
V 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Pa.Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Y 
Sp. 40—76. 
Italy 1596. 
Tauria 1805. 
England me.pa. 
Italy 
Tauria 
Hungary 1793. 
Tifliz 1823. 
England bor.fi. 
Britain pas. 
S. Europe 1688. 
S. Euroi>e 1816. 
Sicily 1680. 
S. Europe 1552. 
1816. 
S. Europe 1658. 
S. Europe 1680. 
S. Europe 1658. 
1802. 
Spain 1816. 
1802. 
S. Europe 1629. 
France 1686. 
Carinthia 1789. 
England gva.pa. 
S. Europe 1680. 
S, Europe 1800. 
S. Europe ... 
Lob. lc.2.p.46.f.2 
Eng. bot. 1749 
C s.l 
C s.l 
D r.m 
D s.l 
S CO 
D s.l Jac. hor.vin.t.89 
S CO 
S CO 
S CO 
S CO 
S CO 
S CO 
S CO 
S CO 
S s.l 
S s.l 
S CO 
S CO 
D CO 
S s.l 
S s.l 
S s.l 
S CO 
Eng. bot. 1016 
Eng. bot. 971 
Retob. l.p.24.t.l 
Moris.s.2.t.l5.f.l 
Moris.s.2;t.l5.f4 
Moris.s.2.t.l5.f.3 
Moris.s.2.t.l5.f.5 
Moris.3.2.t.l5.f6 
Jac. coll. t. 15.f.2 
Moris.s.2.t.l5.f.7 
Bot. mag. 909 
Eng. bot. 1616 
Mor.s.2.t. 15.f.l6 
Ga;rt. sem. t.l55 
10899 
History, Use, Propagation, Culture, 
1605. Medicago. A native of the country of the Medes, whence this plant was brought to Greece during 
the expedition of Darius. M. arborea, the Cytisus of the ancients, flowers great part of t-ne year, and 
when sheltered is seldom destitute of flowers. In the open air it begins to flower in April, and continues 
till December. Those flowers which appear early in summer, will have the seeds ripe in August, or the 
beginning of September, and the others will ripen in succession. It grows in great plenty in Abruzzo, and 
many parts of the kingdom of Naples, where the goats feed upon it ; and with their milk abundance of cheese 
is made there. It also abounds in several of the islands in the Archipelago, where the Turks use the wood 
to make handles for their sabres ; and the caloyers, or Greek monks, form their beads of it. In old shrubs, 
the heart is of a dark color, and hard like ebony. 
According to Miller, this shrub bids the fairest of any to be the Cytisus of Virgil, Columella, and the other 
ancient writers on husbandry ; and being celebrated by them as an excellent fodder, has been recommended 
for cultivation here. But however useful it may be in Candia, Rhodes, Sicily, Abruzzo, and other dry warm 
countries, yet it will never thrive in England, (where we have also many plants of this leguminous tribe far 
more succulent than this,) so as to be of any real advantage ; for in severe frost it is very subject to be 
destroyed, or at least so much damaged, as not to recover its former verdure before the middle or end of May ; 
(and even after a mild winter, it will generally appear injured by our cold spring winds, even at that season ; 
so that it cannot be of any use here for early spring fodder.) Besides, the shoots will not bear cutting above 
once in a summer, and then will not be of any considerable length : and the stems growing very woody, the 
cutting of it will be very troublesome. Upon the whole, therefore, it is not worth the trial ; though in hot, 
dry, rocky countries, where few other plants will thrive, it may be cultivated to great advantage. But, how- 
ever unfit Tree Medick may be for use as fodder in England, yet for the beauty of its hoary leaves, abiding all 
the year, together with its long continuance in flower, it deserves a place in every good garden and plantation, 
with shrubs of the same growth. {Diet, in loco, and Martyn's Virgil.) 
M. sativa, Foin de Bourgogne, Fr., Alfalfa, Span., and Lucerne, Eng., (from the Languedoc patois Lauserda)y 
is a deep rooting perennial plant, sending up numerous small and tall clover-like shoots, with blue or violet 
spikes of flowers. It is highly extolled by the Roman writers ; it is also of unknown antiquity in old Spain, 
Italy, and the south of France ; is much grown in Persia and Peru, and mown in both countries all the year 
round. It is mentioned by Hartlib, Blythe, and other early writers, and was tried by Lisle ; but it excited 
little attention till after the publication of Harte's Essays, in 1757. But though it has been so much extolled, 
it has yet found no great reception in this country. If any good reason can be given for this, it is, that lucem 
is a less hardy plant than red clover, requires three or four years before it comes to its full growth, and is for 
these and other reasons ill adapted to enter into general rotations. When the climate and soil suit, perhaps, 
a field of it may be advantageously sown, adjoining the homestall, to afford early cutting or food for young 
or sick animals, for which it is said to be well adapted ; but though it will produce good crops for eight or 
ten years, yet from the time the farmer must wait till this crop attains its perfection, and from the care 
requisite to keep it from grass and weeds, we do not think it is ever likely to come into general culture. 
There are no varieties of the lucern deserving the notice of a cultivator. What is called the yellow lucern, 
or Swiss lucern, is the Medicago falcata, a much more hardy and coarser plant, common in several parts of 
England, but not cultivated any where excepting in some poor soils in Switzerland. 
