194 
THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
valves destined to be scattered when ripe by the cracking of the 
dry legume in the heat of the sud. While yet in a fresh green state, 
the remains of the calyx may be found with the dry filaments of the 
stamens at the base, and the remains of the stigma at the point of 
the pod. The common garden pea carries the remains of the stigma 
at the point of the pod, like a chaffy scale, in just the same way. 
An immense nutuber of papilionaceous plants are now in flower; 
we must mention very few. The Common Furze, Ulex Europcsv.s, 
you know ; but perhaps you do not know the pretty little Dwarf Furze, 
U. nanus , a very spiny small edition of it, which, from the end of 
this month until Christmas, will light up many of our heaths and 
moors with its brilliant yellow flowers. “ Not know it ! ” you 
exclaim, in astonishment. Well, perhaps yon do not know it as 
distinct from the whin of the hedgerow and the sandy waste. Now, 
here is one character by which to distinguish this plant from the 
Common Furze — the flower-stalks are accompanied with bracts wider 
than themselves; in the Dwarf Furze the bracts are the same width 
as the flower-stalks; moreover, the Dwarf Furze is hairy, the spines 
and stems are hairy ; but in the other, smooth. A pretty broom to 
look for now on mossy lands is the Needle Greenweed, or Petty 
Whin, Genista anglica, a very spiny, wiry plant, with pretty tufts 
of small yellow flowers, which crown it a3 with golden garlands. 
The Medick, or Lucerne, Medicago satiua, you may find upon the 
farm lands, if it does not occur in your rambles far a-field. Its 
purple flowers cause a great mass of it to present a beautiful feature 
in the landscape, especially when it occurs in the same scene with 
acres of yellow mustard and crimson clover. The Yellow Melilot, 
which is far from common, though by no means scarce in many 
parts of Cambridgeshire, is well worth hunting for, as, indeed, 
it is well worth growing in the garden. The spike of flowers 
may be likened to a brush or comb, as they all turn one way, 
and form a close fringe of delicate yellow tubes, in which the 
characteristic features of papilionaceous flowers may be easily traced 
out. It is to this plant, in part, at least, that Gruyere cheese is 
indebted for its peculiar flavour, the Melilot being abundant in the 
pasturage of Gruyere. 
One of the most interesting trefoils is the Hare’s-foot, Trifolium 
arvense, with heads like velvet ; the colour of the flowers pale pink, 
peeping prettily out of a soft grey down. If loves the neighbour- 
hood of the sea, and you may make sure of finding it on the pastures 
of Kent, especially near Saudgate. A very pretty kind is the Soft- 
knotted Trefoil, T. striatum, with distinct, small rounded leaves, 
and downy heads of reddish-purple flowers. The Strawberry -headed 
Trefoil, T.fragferum, is really like a strawberry, the head rounded, 
and consisting of little purplish-red flowers, set amongst conspicuous 
green calyces. Look for it in the salt marshes of Kent and Essex. 
Salt marshes are capital hunting-grounds, where you may have to 
hunt oxen as well as flowers, or perhaps the oxen, if you are a trifle 
too timid, will hunt you. The Lesser Yellow Trefoil, T. minus , is 
an annual plant, quite common in good pastures. It has pretty 
little heads of yellow flowers. 
