Ervum tetraspermum. Smooth - podded Tine Tare. 
ERVUM Linnai Gen. PI. Diadelphia Decandria. 
Rail Syn. Gen. 23. Herb.® flore papilionaceo seu leguminos®. 
ERVUM (tetrafpermum) pedunculis fubbifloris, feminibus globofis quaternis. Linn. Syfl. Vegetab. p. 554. 
VICIA foliis linearibus, filiquis gemellis glabris. Haller hifl. v. 1 . p. 1 84. 
ERVUM tetrafpermum. Scopoli FI. Carniol. Diagn. Pedunculi fubbiflori. Siliqua glabra, obtufa, tetrafperma. 
VICIA fegetum fingularibus filiquis glabris. Bauhin Pin. p. 345. 
VICLE live Craccze minimas fpecies cum filiquis glabris. I. Bauhin. 
CRACCA minor filiquis fingularibus, flofculis ccerulefcentibus. Hof. C. H Alt. Raii Syn. p. 322. Tine- 
Tare with fmooth pods. Hudfon FI. Angi p. 280. OEder FI. Dan. Icon. 95. 
RADIX annua, fibrofa. 
CAULES in apertis locis lasves, tenues, debiles, inter fege- 
tes vero, (ubi fiepius invenitur) capreolis ere&e 
fefe fuftentant, pedales et ultra. 
STIPULAE ad bafin foliorum, duo, fimplices, utrinque 
acuminate. 
FOLIA pinnata, laevia, lanceolata-linearia, parium tri- 
um ad quinque ufque, capreolo ramofo termi- 
nata. 
PEDUNCULI longitudine foliorum, plerumque biflori. 
Ci\LYX Perianthium quinquedentatum, perfiftens, 
dentibus inasqualibus, acutis, duobus fuperiori- 
bus brevioribus, latioribus, furfum tendentibus, 
obtufe divifis, fig. 1 . 
COROLLA papilionacea, fig. 2; Vexillum fubemar- 
ginatum, limbus reflexus, venis purpureis pi£his, 
fig. 4; Al® albas, conniventes, jfg-. 5 ; Carina 
alis brevior, obtufa, fig. 6. 
STAMINA : Filamenta diadelpha (fimplex et novem- 
fidum) affingentia, 7, 8, fupremum liberum, 
fig. 8 ; Anther® fimplices. 
PISTILLUM : Germen compreffiim ; Stylus affin- 
gens ; Stigma capitatum, villofum, fig. 9. 
PERICARPIUM : Legumen lave , teretiufculum, te- 
trafpernium , fig. 10. 
SEMINA fubrotunda, fufcefcentia, nigro marmoreata. 
fig- n- 
| ROOT annual and fibrous. 
I STALKS in open places are flender and weak, but among 
X the Corn, (where this plant is moll commonly 
I found,) they fupport the'mfelves upright by 
4 means of their tendrils, and grow to a foot or 
I more in height. 
I STIPULiE at the bottom of the leaves, two, fimple, and 
i pointed at each end. 
* LEAVES pinnated, fmooth, lanceolate and linear, from 
4 three to five pair, terminated by a branched ten- 
dril. 
PEDUNCLES the length of the leaves, generally fuftain- 
ing two flowers. 
I CALYX a Perianthium having five teeth and continu- 
ing, the teeth unequal and pointed, the two 
uppermofi Ihorteft, broadeft, and turning a little 
upwards, at bottom obtufely divided, _/7g-. 1 . 
COROLLA papilionaceous, fig. 2; the Vexillum (light- 
ly nicked in at top, the limb fomewhat turned 
back and ftreakedwith purple, fig, 4 ; the Al® 
white and doling together,^. 5 ; the Carina 
fhorterthan the Alas and obtufe^/g-. 6. 
STAMINA : Ten Filaments uniting into two bodies, of 
which one forms the lowermoft, fig. 7, and 
one the uppermofi: which is free, fig. 8 ; An- 
ther® fimple. 
PISTILLUM: Germen flatten’d; Style riling up- 
i ward ; Stigma forming a little head and vil- 
* lous, fig. 9. 
I SEED-VESSEL : a Legumen, fmooth , roundilh, and 
containing four feeds , fig. 1 o. 
I SEEDS nearly round, brownilh and mottled with black, 
fg • 
This fpecies of Ervum or fine-fare is found in moft Corn-fields, often to the Farmers forrow, as It frequent- 
ly proves very injurious to the Corn, laying hold of it by means of its tendrils, and if the feafon favours its 
growth quite overcoming it. Like moft plants of this kind it is exceedingly fertile ; on one plant which I cafually 
pulled up, I counted 220 pods, and as each pod contains four feeds, there mull have been from a fingle feed the 
amazing produce-of 880. 
At firft fight this fpecies has a confiderable refemblance to the Ervum hirfutum, but the flighted attention will 
difeover the difference ; in the Ervum hirfutum the pods contain only two feeds and are hairy ; in the fetrafpermum 
they contain four and are fmooth ; in the hirfutum the flowers grow in a kind of clufier, in this fpecies there is leldom 
more than two grow together. 
The figure which 1 have given is intended to reprefent the plant as it grows among the Corn ; when it is 
found by itfelf and in a poor foil it is often not lo large. 
