-MEDICAGO FALCATA, A YELLOW-FLOWERED ALFALFA. 9 
to collectors, early in the history of modern botany. The reference 
cited by Kaspar Bauhin (8) and by subsequent botanists as the 
earliest mention of the species is made by Bock (10), who desig- 
nates his plant as Melilotus majoris species tertia and describes it in 
such a way as to leave a reasonable doubt as to whether it is really 
Medicago falcata or some other species, possibly Medicago arborea 
L. In 1561 Gesner (24) published a brief description of it under - 
the name 7'rifolit genus medica similis, mentioning the fact that it 
has yellow flowers and only slightly coiled pods. This reference 
may, with a reasonable degree of certainty, be regarded as the first 
positive mention of J/edicago falcata in literature, since the identity 
of Bock’s plant is somewhat in doubt. It is true that Kaspar Bauhin 
(8) cited Trifolit genus medica similis as a synonym of both Medi- 
cago falcata and Medicago lupulina L., but Gesner’s description pre- 
cludes the possibility of his having the latter species in mind. 
By far the best of the early descriptions of Medicago falcata is 
furnished by Clusius (33), appearing in 1583. The name Medica 
luteo flore, which he applied, is, in a true sense, a descriptive one, 
and the description accompanying it treats in considerable detail of 
the diagnostic characters of the species. Furthermore, a good illus- 
tration of the plant, apparently the first one ever published, appears 
with the description (fig. 2). 
- Tabernemontanus (48) describes and figures Medicago falcata 
as Lens major repens. The description is not convincing, but the 
figure leaves no doubt as to the identity of the plant. The generic 
name ‘‘ Lens” was applied by Tabernzmontanus to various species of 
Leguminose without regard to their relationship. 
The name finally chosen by Kaspar Bauhin for the species was 
Trifolium sylvestre luteum siliqua cornuta or Medica frutescens. 
This designation was published in 1623 (8). 
It was about the time of Johann and Kaspar Bauhin, when the 
species became the subject of more general study and discussion, 
that mention of forms that are now known to have been hybrids 
began to appear in such a manner as to confuse the nomenclature 
somewhat. It is evident from their writings on Medicago falcata 
that both of the Bauhins fell into errors through their failure to 
recognize the hybrid nature of the plants which they described. 
The name falcata was first used in connection with Medicago fal- 
cata by Rivinus in 1690 (40). He used it in a generic sense, divid- 
ing what was formerly known as Medica into two groups (Falcata 
and Cochleata), the distinguishing characters being the degree of 
twist or coil of the pod. Medicago falcata fell in the first division 
-and was designated simply as Falcata. Together with the name, 
Rivinus published an excellent illustration, which is the first unmis- 
takable figure of a Medicago sativa X falcata hybrid. Rivinus’s 
-§5890°—Bull. 428—17-——2 
