4 MEDI 
smarmed, or fmooth and flat. Native of the fouth of 
France. 
8 . M. turbinata, or turban-medic. According to Ge¬ 
rard, this is a variety of the preceding, with the legumes 
longer and lefs blunt. Native of the fouth of France. 
s. M. intertexta, or hedgehog-medic. The fruit of this 
is much larger than in the other varieties, and clofely 
armed with long fpines like a hedgehog, whence it had 
the Englifh name; thefe fpines point every way, fo that 
it is very difagreeable to handle. Native of the fouth of 
Europe. 
£. M. muricata, or prickly medic. Stems fmooth, or 
with very few hairs, red. Leaves on very long petioles, 
glaucous and tomentofe, with a fliort and fcarcely-con- 
fpicuous nap beneath. Flowers axillary, two or three to¬ 
gether, fmall, yellow. The leaves that firft come out are 
heart-fhaped ; thofe on the Item broad and blunt, beauti¬ 
fully ftriated. Legumes oval, with fhort ftiff fpines, hard, 
and larger than peafe, becoming blackifli when ripe. Ac¬ 
cording to Villars, the legumes make two turns and a 
half, each armed with a row of fliort fpines on both edges. 
Native of the fouth of France: Ray found it near Medina 
in Sicily, and at Orford in Suffolk, on the fea-bank, if 
that be the fame, the fpines on the legume being defcribed 
as rather tender than ItifF. 
n. M. Arabics, or heart-medic. Stems numerous, a 
foot in length, according to the foil, procumbent, four- 
cornered, with long whitilh hairs below, but fmooth above, 
ftriated, purplifli, branched. Leaflets obcordate, fomewhat 
libbed, fmooth, obfcurely or partly ferrate, marked above 
in the middle with a blackifli brown or blood-coloured 
heart-fhaped or fagittate fpot, varying in brightnefs, and, 
according to Linnaeus,difappearing after the plant has flow¬ 
ered. Flowers from two to four or five together, on axil¬ 
lary round hairy peduncles, fhorter than the leaves; co¬ 
rolla yellow. Legumes roundifh-cylindrical, cut off at each 
end ; the fpires flat, with widely-diverging prickles, hooked 
at the end. This medic is called by our Gerard heart- 
trefoil ; others call it heart claver or clover, corrupted by 
the vulgar into heart liver. Hudfon and Curtis name it 
heart.inedic \ and Sibthorp, perhaps more fignificantly ,7 ’potted 
medic. It is common on banks and the borders of fields, 
in dry fandy paftures, and efpecially near the lea ; flower¬ 
ing in May and June. It varies much in fize. 
In Hudfon’s hybrida, the peduncles are two-flowered, 
or thereabouts. The lower legumes fpiral, with five turns 
and diverging fpines; the feeds perfect: the upper ones 
linear, half an inch long, bowed or curved inwards, flightly 
torulofe or protuberant; feeds imperfedt. Found near 
Charlton in Kent. Mr. Curtis affirms that there is no 
heart-medic near London but the common one. 
M. coronata, or crowned medic. This variety, ac¬ 
cording to Gerard, is known by having feveral fmaller 
legumes to each peduncle ; with (horter almoft-eredt fpines, 
as Gouan remarks. Native of the fouth of Europe. 
i. M. ciliaris, or fringed medic. Stipules ciliate. Le¬ 
gumes feveral, oval, the fpires or turns having ftraightiffi 
villofe fpines. Native of the fouth of Europe. 
k. M. liirfuta, or hairy medic. Inhabits the fouth of 
Europe. 
A. M. rigidula, or thorny fpotted medic. Peduncles many- 
flowered ; legumes compreffed, with very ftiff prickles. 
Native of France. 
p. M. minimi, or leaft medic. Root ftriking deep, white, 
the fize of fmall twine, tough, with a few rigid fibres. The 
whole plant, except the flowers, is covered with a white 
filky down. Stems fomewhat angular, numerous, pro¬ 
cumbent, often tinged w ith purple. Leaves petioled ; 
outer leaflets feffile, the middle one petioluled, oblong 
wedge-ftiaped, entire at the bafe, Serrated towards the 
top, marked with Itrong nerves, the terminations of which 
form the ferratures; the end emarginate, with an inter¬ 
mediate projecting point. Stipules lanceolate, entire, 
nerved. Peduncles as long as the leaves, bearing from 
one to fix flowers, in a loofe head, on fliort unequal pe- 
C A G O. 
dicels; teeth of the calyx awl-fhaped, equal; corolla fmall, 
pale yellow. See fig. 3. Legumes fcarcely larger than 
the feeds of Orobus; the fpires covered with rigid hooked 
prickles. Native of feveral parts of Europe. In England 
on fandy foils, but rare: found by Mr. Woodward at 
Narborough, near Swaffham, in Norfolk. 
». M. nigra, or black-podded medic. Legumes black, 
fpiral, with hooked prickles the length of the legumes. 
Native of the fouth of France. 
|. M. laciniata, or cut-leaved medic. Leaflets wedge- 
ftiaped, fliarply toothed, with three acute points at the top ; 
flowers pale yellow; fruit fmall, with many weak fpines. 
The leaves, according to Linnaeus, are iike thofe of Tri- 
gonella laciniata, and appear as if gnawn at the edge by 
infedts. Native of Syria, about Aleppo. 
There, are more varieties mentioned by Gaertner, Ret- 
zius, and others; but the above will probably be deemed 
fufficient. Some of them have been long cultivated in 
our gardens, but are not fo much regarded at prefent as 
they were heretofore. 
11. Medicago proftrata, or proftrate medic: legumes 
fpiral, unarmed; leaves ternate, wedge-fhaped, toothed at 
the top; ftipules briftle-fhaped, quite entire; ftem dif¬ 
fused. This is a very fmall plant, with a fmall fruit. It 
is nearly allied to M. polymorpha, but is perennial. Na¬ 
tive of expofed ftony ground in Hungary and Italy. 
Propagation and Culture. Tree-medic, or moon-trefoil, 
may be propagated by fowing the feeds upon a moderate 
hot-bed, or a warm border of light earth, in the begin¬ 
ning of April. When the plants come up, they fnould 
be carefully cleared from weeds; but they fliould remain 
undifturbed, if fown in the common ground, till September 
following; but, if on a hot-bed, they fliould be trans¬ 
planted about midfummer into pots, placing them in the 
(hade until they have taken root ; after which they may 
be removed into a fituation where they may be fcreened 
from (trong winds, in which they may abide till the end 
of Oftober, when they mult be put into a common garden- 
frame, to (helter them,from hard frofts; for thofe plants 
which have been brought up tenderly will be liable to 
Suffer by hard weather, especially while they are young. 
In April following thefe plants may be fliaken out of the 
pots, and placed in the full ground where they are de- 
figned to remain, >vhi<~h fhould be in a light foil and a 
warm Situation, in which they will endure the cold of our 
ordinary winters extremely well, and continue to produce 
flowers molt part of the year ; and retaining their leaves all 
the winter renders them the more valuable. Thefe plants 
have been formerly preferved in the green-houle, fup- 
pofing them too tender to live through the winter in the 
open air ; but large plants of this kind have remained in 
a warm fituation many years without any cover, and have 
been much (Longer, and flowered better, than thofe which 
were houfed ; though, indeed, it will be proper to keep a 
plant or two in (helter, left by a very Severe wfinter (which 
Sometimes happens in England) the plants abroad (hould 
be deftroyed. 
Tney may alfo be propagated by cuttings, which fliould 
be planted in April, upon a bed of light earth, and watered 
and (haded until they have taken root, after which they 
may be expofed to the open air; but they fliould remain 
in the fame bed till July or Auguft following, before they 
are transplanted, by which time they will have made ftrong 
roots, and may be removed with Safety to the places 
where they are to remain, oblcrving to water and Shade 
them until they have taken root; after which you may 
train them up with Straight Items, by fattening them to 
flicks, for otherw.ile they are apt to grow crooked and ir¬ 
regular; and, when you have got their items to the height 
you detign them, they may then be reduced to regular 
heads, and, by pruning their irregular (hoots every year, 
they may be kept in very good order. 
3, 4, 5. Thefe annual forts are preferved in the gardens 
of thole who are curious in botany ; the feeds ffiould be 
fown upon an open bed of frefh ground, in the places where 
1 the 
