116 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
GENUS IY. 
THE REST-HARROW. (Ononis, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. MONADELPHIA DECANDRIA. 
Generic Character. —Calyx campanulate, five-cleft, with linear Leaves ternate, occasionally simple. Flowers axillary, yellow or 
segments. Yexillum large, streaked. Stamens monadelplious. Pod purple. Pedicels often hearing a bristle indicating an abortive floral 
turgid, sessile, few-seeded.—Herbaceous plants or under-shrubs. leaf. ( Lindley.) 
Description, &c. —The plants belonging to this genus, though small, are all more or less suffruticose ; and 
they have all large handsome flowers, and very strong, deeply-seated roots, which offer so serious an obstruc¬ 
tion to the labours of the farmer, as to give rise to the popular English name of Rest-Harrow, rest being an 
abbreviation of arrest or stop. The name of Ononis is said to be derived from onos an ass, because these plants 
are generally so prickly that none but asses will eat them. It is said, however, that among the ancients the 
young shoots were preserved in salt and vinegar, and eaten as a kind of pickle. This genus is placed in the 
same Linnaean class and order as the preceding genera. 
1.—THE COMMON, OR TRAILING REST-HARROW. (Ononis procurrens, Dec.) 
Svnonymes. —O. arvensis, Smith ; O. repens, Lin. 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 2659; 2nd ed., t. 995.* 
Specific Character. —Stem procumbent, spreading, rooting, un¬ 
armed ; flowering branches ascending, hairy all over. Lower leaves 
ternate, upper ones simple; all roundish-oval or oblong, serrated, and 
clothed with glandular hairs. Lobes of the calyx rather longer than 
the legume. ( Smith.) 
Description, &c. —This very beautiful little plant is found in great abundance upon sandy heaths and 
other places, wherever the soil is sufflciently loose to admit of being penetrated by its long deep roots. It is a 
very beautiful little plant, with pink flowers growing close to the ground, but with long trailing stems. It is 
half-shrubby, but dies down to the crown of the root every winter. It flowers from June to September. 
Synonymes. —O. arvensis, var., Hook.; O. antiquorum, Lin.; 
Cammock ; Ground Furze. 
Engravings _Eng. Bot., t. 682 ; 2nd ed., t. 995 ; and our fig. 
6, in PI. 26. 
THE THORNY REST-HARROW. (Ononis spinosa, Dec.) 
Specific Character. —Stem nearly erect, spinous; flowering branches 
(sometimes) with one or two distinct rows of hairs. Leaves ternate, 
oblong, wedge-shaped, and entire towards the base. Lobes of the 
calyx shorter than the legume. ( Smith .) 
Description, &c. —This very handsome plant grows abundantly in all barren places where the soil is deep 
and sandy. It produces its large, handsome, rose-coloured flowers from June to September ; and, like the 
preceding species, it dies down to the crown of the root in winter. It is very nearly allied to the last species, 
only the stems grow erect and are decidedly thorny. 
GENUS V. 
THE KIDNEY-VETCH, OR LADIES’ FINGER. (Anthyllis, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. MONADELPHIA DECANDRIA. 
Generic Character. —Calyx tubular, five-toothed, persistent, more seeded, always covered by the calyx—Herbaceous plants or under- 
or less inflated. Wings, keel, and vexillum nearly equal. Stamens shrubs, of various habits. {Lindley.) 
monadelphous. Pod ovate, one or two seeded, very seldom many- 
Description, &c. —Only one species of this genus is a native of Rritain. The word Anthyllis signifies a 
downy flower, in allusion to the down upon the calyx. It is placed in the same Linnaean class and order as the 
^receding genera. The English name of Ladies’ Finger, alludes to the shape of the seed-pods. 
