MEDICAGO. 
157 
the year. — PL of a rather dull or hoary dark gr. St. 6-18 in. 
long spreading widely, the ends ascending. FI. lemon-y. in 
little compact oval or oblong short heads on axillary ped. longer 
than the 1. Pods brown or blackish scarcely spiral smooth or 
slightly pubescent arcuato-reticulate 1-seeded. Seed ovate- 
reniform. 
Common Lucern ( M . sativa L.) is occasionally cult, about 
Funchal for fodder, but has shown no tendency to naturalize 
itself. It is characterized by its Melilot-like erect bpshy habit 
1-2 or 3 ft. high, oblong lfts. toothed upwards, axillary many- 
fld. rac. of handsome violet-blue fl. on ped. longer than the 1. with 
pedic. shorter than the hr. or cal., and many-seeded adpressedly 
pubescent scarcely reticulate 2-3 -whorled pods. 
Sect. ii. Spirocarpos Ser. in DC. — FI. umbellate; pods di- 
stinctly spiral of several turns or volutions. — St. prostrate 
or procumbent. L. 3-nate. FI. small y. 
* Pods unarmed, with a simple entire thin sharp edge or 
margin. 
2. M. ORBICULARIS All. 
Quite smooth ; stip. lac-iniate with long setaceous teeth ; lfts. 
obcordate obcuneate or obovate, toothed upwards ; ped. 1-3-fl. 
awned shorter than the 1. ; pods very smooth and shining pale 
brown mostly orbicular and flattened or lenticular, of 4 or 5 
membranous or foliaceous finely radiately-veined mostly in- 
cumbent and closely (sometimes loosely) spiral volutions with 
sharp thin entire even edges, many-seeded; seeds flattened 
subtriangularly rounded-obovate, very closely and finely granu- 
late or dotted. — Pods closely spiral, Moris. Ilist. ii. t. 15. f. 1 ; 
Brot. ii. 113; Buch! 198. no. 418; DC. ii. 174; Moris FI. Sard, 
i. 434. t. 37 ; Koch 177 ; WB. ! ii. 60, 61, var. a, fi. M. poly- 
morpha A. Orbicularis Desf. ii. 210. — Pods loosely spiral, M. mar- 
ginataWiM., Moris. Hist. ii. 1. 15. f. 2; DC. ii. 174; Koch 177. 
M. orbicularis var. y. marginata WB. ! 1. c. 
Herb. ann. Mad. reg. 1, f. Grassy places in waste ground 
near the sea. Cliffs to the E. of Funchal along the Can^o road, 
Brazen Head, &c. ; to the W. about the Gorgulho and upwards 
towards Pico da Cruz, &c. March-May. — Sparingly leafy. St. 
slender hard and wiry angular prostrate 6-12 in. long spreading 
flat all round unbranched except at the base pale gr. sometimes 
dark purplish or violet. Foliage rather thin and scanty; lfts. 
rather small dark gr. FI. small lemon-y., mostly two together 
but rarely more than one producing fr. Pods large and con- 
spicuous |-f inch in diam. parchment-like in substance and of a 
peculiar light-gr. or yellowish colour whilst immature, when 
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