Trifolium subterraneum. Subterraneous Trefoil. 
TRIFOLIUM Linruei Gen . Pi. DiadelphiA Decandria. 
Flores fubcapitati. Legumen vix calyce iongius, non dehifcehs, deciduum.' 
Pali Syn.Gen. 23. Herbje flore papilionaceo seu leguminosa:. 
TRIFOLIUM fubterraneum capitulis villofis fubquinquefloris, coma centrali reflexa rigida frudum 
obvolvente. Linncei Syjl. Vegetab. p. 572. Sp. Ph p. 1080. 
TRIFOLIUM pumilum fupinum, flofculis longis albis. Ph. Brit. Rail Syn. p. 31*]. tab. xni. fg. 2. 
TRIFOLIUM parvum Monfpefliilanum album cum paucis floribus. I. Bauhin. 11. 380. 
TRIFOLIUM album tricoccum fubterraneum reticulatum. Morifon. Hijl. Ox. 11. 138. s. ir. t. 14. f 5. 
TRIFOLIUM fubterraneum feu folliculos fub terram condens. Magnol. Botan. Monjp. 265. Gouan FI. 
Monfp. p. 198. 
Hudfon. FI. Angi. p. 286. ed. 2. p. 328. 
RADIX annua, fimplex, fibrofa. 
CAULES teretes, craffiufculi, ramofi, procumbentes 
et terras velut apprefli, villoli. 
STIPULA ovato-lan ceol atas, nervofae. 
PETIOLI pedunculis paulo longiores, denfe pilofl. 
FOLIA terna, obcordata, mollia, villofa, integerrima, 
maculis purpureis faepe variegata. 
PEDUNCULI triflori aut quadriflori, pera&a floref- 
centia verfus terram inflexi. 
FLORES albi, longi, procul confpicui. 
CALYX: Perianthium oblongum, tubulatum, fu- 
perne rubrum, quinquedentatum, dentibus fe- 
taceis, pilofis, longitudine tubi, fg. 8, aud. 
COROLLA oblonga, calyce duplo longior, alba : 
Vexillum venis dilute purpureis ftriatum : 
Ala: conuiventes, vexillo breviores : Carina 
parva, brevis, alis inclufa, fg. 1. 
PISTILLUM: Germen ovatum: Stylus longus, 
tenuis, adfcendens : Stigma fubrotundum, 
fig- 9« 
PERICARPIUM: Legumen fubrotundum, mono- 
fpermum, fg. 6. 
SEMEN magnum, nitidum, fpadiceum, fg. 7. 
OBS. perada florefcentia, pedunculi verfus terram de- 
fleduntur, et filamenta alba radiculis asmula 
extremitatibus fuis exferunt, fg. 2. hae vero 
terram nequaquam penetrant, at furfum eri- 
guntur, mox apices ftellatim expanduntur, 
fg. 3. et demum pericarpia obvolvunt,/^-. 5. 
ROOT annual, Ample, and fibrous. 
STALKS about three inches in length, frequently 
much longer, round, thickifh, branched, pro- 
cumbent, and as it were prefled to the ground, 
covered with foft hairs. 
STIPULAE oval, pointed, and ribbed. 
LEAF-STALKS a little longer than the flower-ftaiks, 
and thickly covered with hairs. 
LEAVES growing by threes, inverfely heart-fhaped, 
foft, villous, intire at the edges, and frequent- 
ly variegated with purple fpots. 
FLOWER-STALKS fupporting three or four flow- 
ers, and bending towards the earth as they 
decay. 
FLOWERS white, long, and confpicuous at a dis- 
tance. 
CALYX : a Perianthium oblong, tubular, on the 
upper part red, having five longflender hairy 
teeth the length of the tube, fg. 8, mag. 
COROLLA oblong, twice the length of the calyx, 
white : Standard ftriped with faint purple 
veins : Wings doling, Ihorter than the 
ftandard : Keel fmall, inclofed within the 
wings, fig. 1. 
PISTILLUM: Germen oval: Style long, flender, 
afcending: Stigma roundilh, fig. 9. 
SEED-VESSEL : a roundilh Pod containing one feed, 
fig. 6 . 
SEED large, fhining, of a purplilh colour, fig. 7. 
OBS. The flowering being over, the flower-ftalks are 
bent towards the earth, and from their extre- 
mities put forth white filaments like roots, 
fig. 2. thefe do not however penetrate the 
earth, but rife upwards, their tips foon ex- 
panding into little liars, fig. 3. and finally 
inclofe the feed-vefl’els, fig. 5. 
NOTWITHSTANDING this plant appears to have obtained its name of fubterraneum from a mifapprehenfion 
of its oeconomy, we have chofen to retain it, rather than introduce confufion by altering a name fo long eftablifh- 
ed, efpecially as it has a tendency to excite an enquiry into the hiftory of the plant. 
Ray, in his Hifi. PI. has given a very accurate defcription of this plant, and related every circumftance which 
takes place in its oeconomy with his ufual precifion, except the following ; “ Flofculis delapfis aut marcefcentibus 
“ calices ad pediculum refle&untur et capitula fub terra condunt .” Here he aflerts, that the capituli or little heads, 
are buried in the earth by means of the calyces or flower cups, but does not explain in what manner. In the 
third edition of his Synopfis , publilhed by Dillenius, in a note added to this plant, contained in a parenthefis, the 
following account occurs : “ Calices flofculis exaridis deorfum tendunt, radicefque extremitatibus fuis agere vi- 
“ dentur, mox vero laciniis eorum furfum verfis peculiaribus fibris humo affiguntur, quo tempore unum alterumve 
“ femen terreni humoris beneficio intumefcit, novzeque plantas produttioni inferyit.” Here is an attempt to ac- 
count for the manner in which the heads are buried, founded however on a miftaken obfervation ; for notwith- 
ftanding what authors have related, the feeds are not buried in any unufual way, nor is there any apparatus to effe& it. 
It muff be allowed, that on the firft examination of this plant, one would be tempted to think that young roots 
did actually fpring from fome part of the feed as it lay on the ground con netted with the plant; but a more Arid 
obfervation would difcover, that thofe white filaments which have the appearance of roots, were not roots in reali- 
ty ; that they fprung from the end of the foot-ftalk which fupports the flowers, and not from either the calyx or 
feed ; that inftead of penetrating into the earth, they foon turned upward, put on a ftar-like appearance at their ex- 
tremities, and finally inclofed the feed-veflels in a kind of prickly head. 
There is certainly fomething very extraordinary in this procefs of nature, yet it does not appear to be ufeful in 
any other way, than as affording fome kind of fecurity to the feeds, which have not that thick coriaceous covering 
afforded to many of the T refoils. 
This fpecies, from thefe Angular circumllances, is eafily diftinguifhed from the others. It is not mentioned ei- 
ther by Haller, Scopoli, or Linnaus in his FI. Sur,cic. but occurs in Gouan’s FI. Mo?fpeliac. 
It grows with us in expofed gravelly fixations, particularly on heaths, and is diflinguilhab'le even at a diftance 
by its” white blofioms. It occurs on many parts oi Black-heath ; and flowers in June, July, and Auguft. 
