upper and the 2 lower) are small and often greenish, while the two
lateral or inner (called _wings_) are much larger, and colored like the
petals. Petals 3, hypogynous, connected with each other and with the
stamen-tube, the middle (lower) one keel-shaped and often crested on the
back. Stamens 6 or 8; their filaments united below into a split sheath,
or into 2 sets, cohering more or less with the petals, free above;
anthers 1-celled, often cup-shaped, opening by a hole or broad chink at
the apex. Ovary 2-celled, with a single anatropous ovule pendulous in
each cell; style prolonged and curved; stigma various. Fruit a small,
loculicidal 2-seeded pod, usually rounded and notched at the apex, much
flattened contrary to the very narrow partition. Seeds carunculate.
Embryo large, straight, with flat and broad cotyledons, in scanty
albumen.--Bitter plants (low herbs in temperate regions), with simple
entire often dotted leaves, and no stipules; sometimes (as in the first
two species) bearing cleistogamous flowers next the ground. (An old name
composed of [Greek: poly/s], _much_, and [Greek: ga/la], _milk_, from a
fancied property of its increasing this secretion.)
[*] _Perennial or biennial; flowers purple or white; leaves alternate._
[+] _Flowers showy, rose-purple, conspicuously crested; also bearing
inconspicuous colorless cleistogamous flowers on subterranean branches._
1. P. paucifolia, Willd. _Perennial_; flowering stems short (3--4'
high), from long slender prostrate or subterranean shoots, which also
bear concealed fertile flowers; lower leaves small and scale-like,
scattered, the _upper ovate, petioled, crowded_ at the summit; _flowers
1--3, large_, peduncled; wings obovate, rather shorter than the
fringe-crested keel; stamens 6; caruncle of 2 or 3 awl-shaped lobes
longer than the seed.--Woods, in light soil, N. Eng. to Minn., Ill., and
southward along the Alleghanies. May.--A delicate plant, with very
handsome flowers, 9'' long, rose-purple, or rarely pure white. Sometimes
called _Flowering Wintergreen_, but more appropriately FRINGED POLYGALA.
2. P. polygama, Walt. Stems numerous from the _biennial_ root, mostly
simple, ascending, very leafy (6--9' high); _leaves oblanceolate or
oblong_; terminal _raceme loosely many-flowered_, the broadly obovate
wings longer than the keel; stamens 8; radical flowers racemed on short
subterranean runners; lobes of the caruncle 2, scale-like, shorter than
the seed.--Dry sandy soil; common. July.
[+][+] _Flowers white, in a solitary close spike; none cleistogamous._
3. P. Senega, L. (SENECA SNAKEROOT.) Stems several from thick and hard
knotty rootstocks, simple (6--12' high); leaves lanceolate or
oblong-lanceolate, with rough margins; wings round-obovate, concave;
crest short; caruncle nearly as long as the seed.--Rocky soil, W. New
Eng. to Minn., and southward. May, June.
Var. latifolia, Torr. & Gray. Taller, sometimes branched; leaves ovate
or ovate-lanceolate, 2--4' long, tapering to each end.--Md. to Mich. and
Ky.
4. P. alba, Nutt. Stems several from a hard rootstock, 1 deg. high; leaves
narrowly linear, 3--12'' long, acute; wings oblong-obovate; crest small;
lobes of the caruncle half the length of the appressed-silky seed.--Neb.
and Kan. to Tex.
[*][*] _Annuals, with all the leaves alternate; flowers in terminal
spikes, heads or racemes, purple or rose-color, in summer; none
subterranean._
[+] _Keel conspicuously crested; claws of the true petals united into a
long and slender cleft tube much surpassing the wings._
5. P. incarnata, L. Glaucous; stem slender, sparingly branched; leaves
minute and linear-awl-shaped; spike cylindrical; flowers flesh-color;
caruncle longer than the narrow stalk of the hairy seed.--Dry soil,
Penn. to Wisc., Iowa, Neb., and southward; rather rare.
[+][+] _Keel minutely or inconspicuously crested; the true petals not
longer but mostly shorter than the wings; seed pear-shaped._
6. P. sanguinea, L. Stem sparingly branched above, leafy to the top;
_leaves oblong-linear; heads globular, at length oblong_, very dense
(4--5'' thick), bright red-purple (rarely paler or even white); pedicels
scarcely any; _wings broadly ovate, closely sessile_, longer than the
pod; the 2-parted _caruncle almost equalling the seed_.--Sandy and moist
ground; common.
7. P. fastigiata, Nutt. Stem slender, at length corymbosely branched;
_leaves narrowly linear_, acute, 3--8'' long; _spikes short and dense_
(3'' in diameter); the small rose-purple flowers on _pedicels of about
the length of the pod_; wings obovate- or oval-oblong, narrowed at the
base, scarcely exceeding the pod; _bracts deciduous_ with the flowers or
fruits, caruncle as long as and nearly enveloping the stalk-like base of
the minutely hairy seed.--Pine barrens of N. J. and Del. to Ky., and
southward.
8. P. Nuttallii, Torr. & Gray. Resembles the last, but usually lower;
spikes cylindrical, narrow; flowers duller or greenish purple, on very
short _pedicels_; the awl-shaped scaly _bracts persistent_ on the axis
after the flowers or fruits fall; seed very hairy, the caruncle
smaller.--Dry sandy soil, coast of Mass. to Mo., and southward.--Spike
sometimes rather loose.
9. P. Curtissii, Gray. Slender (9' high), leaves, etc., as in the two
preceding, flowers rose-purple, in usually short racemes; pedicels about
equalling or exceeding the persistent bracts; _the narrow oblong erect
wings fully twice the length of the pod_; caruncle small, on one side of
the stalk-like base of the very hairy _seed_, which is _conspicuously
apiculate at the broader end_.--Md. to Ga.--The species was founded upon
an abnormal form with elongated racemes and pedicels.
[*][*][*] _Annuals with at least the lower stem-leaves whorled in fours,
sometimes in fives; spikes terminating the stem and branches; fl. summer
and autumn._
[+] _Spikes short and thick (4--9'' in diameter); bracts persisting
after the fall of the (middle-sized) rose or greenish purple flowers;
crest small._
10. P. cruciata, L. Stems (3--10' high) almost winged at the angles,
with spreading opposite branches; leaves nearly all in fours, linear and
somewhat spatulate or oblanceolate; _spikes sessile or nearly so; wings
broadly deltoid-ovate, slightly heart-shaped, tapering to a bristly
point_ or rarely pointless; caruncle nearly as long as the seed.--Margin
of swamps, Maine to Va. and southward near the coast, and west to Minn.
and Neb.
11. P. brevifolia, Nutt. Rather slender, branched above; leaves
scattered on the branches, narrower; _spikes peduncled; wings
lanceolate-ovate, pointless or barely mucronate_.--Margin of sandy bogs,
R. I., N. J. and southward.
[+][+] _Spikes slender (about 2'' thick), the bracts falling with the
flowers, which are small, greenish-white or barely tinged with purple,
the crest of the keel larger._
12. P. verticillata, L. Slender (6--10' high), much branched;
stem-leaves all whorled, those of the (mostly opposite) branches
scattered, linear, acute; spikes peduncled, usually short and dense,
acute; wings round, clawed; the 2-lobed caruncle half the length of the
seed.--Dry soil; common.
Var. ambigua. Leaves (and branches) all scattered or the lowest in
fours; spikes long-peduncled, more slender, the flowers often purplish
and scattered. (P. ambigua, _Nutt._)--N. Y. to Mo., and southward.
[*][*][*][*] _Biennials or annuals, with alternate leaves, and yellow
flowers, which are disposed to turn greenish in drying; crest small;
flowering all summer._
13. P. lutea, L. Low; _flowers (bright orange-yellow) in solitary ovate
or oblong heads_ (3/4' thick) terminating the stem or simple branches;
leaves (1--2' long) obovate or spatulate; lobes of the _caruncle nearly
as long as the seed._--Sandy swamps, N. J. and southward, near the
coast.
14. P. ramosa, Ell. _Flowers (citron-yellow) in numerous short and dense
spike-like racemes_ collected in a flat-topped _compound cyme_; leaves
oblong-linear, the lowest spatulate or obovate; _seeds_ ovoid, minutely
hairy, _twice the length of the caruncle_.--Damp pine-barrens, Del. and
southward.
15. P. cymosa, Walt. Stem short, naked above, the numerous racemes in a
usually nearly simple cyme, leaves narrow, acuminate; seeds globose,
without caruncle.--Del. and southward.
ORDER 32. LEGUMINOSAE. (PULSE FAMILY.)
_Plants with papilionaceous or sometimes regular flowers, 10 (rarely 5
and sometimes many) monadelphous, diadelphous, or rarely distinct
stamens, and a single simple free pistil, becoming a legume in fruit.
Seeds mostly without albumen. Leaves alternate, with stipules, usually
compound._ One of the sepals inferior (i.e. next the bract); one of the
petals superior (i.e. next the axis of the inflorescence).--A very
large order (nearly free from noxious qualities), of which the principal
representatives in northern temperate regions belong to the first of the
three suborders it comprises.
SUBORDER I. Papilionaceae. Calyx of 5 sepals, more or less united, often
unequally so. Corolla inserted into the base of the calyx, of 5
irregular petals (or very rarely fewer), more or less distinctly
_papilionaceous_, i.e. with the upper or odd petal (_vexillum_ or
_standard_) larger than the others and enclosing them in the bud,
usually turned backward or spreading; the two lateral ones (_wings_)
oblique and exterior to the two lower, which last are connivent and
commonly more or less coherent by their anterior edges, forming the
_carina_ or _keel_, which usually encloses the stamens and pistil.
Stamens 10, very rarely 5, inserted with the corolla, monadelphous,
diadelphous (mostly with 9 united into a tube which is cleft on the
upper side, and the tenth or upper one separate), or occasionally
distinct. Ovary 1-celled, sometimes 2-celled by an intrusion of one of
the sutures, or transversely 2--many-celled by cross-division into
joints; style simple; ovules amphitropous, rarely anatropous.
Cotyledons large, thick or thickish; radicle incurved.--Leaves simple or
simply compound, the earliest ones in germination usually opposite, the
rest alternate; leaflets almost always quite entire. Flowers perfect,
solitary and axillary, or in spikes, racemes, or panicles.
I. Stamens (10) distinct.
[*] Leaves palmately 3-foliolate or simple; calyx 4--5-lobed; herbs.
(PODALYRIEAE.)
1. Baptisia. Pod inflated.
2. Thermopsis. Pod flat, linear.
[*][*] Leaves pinnate; calyx-teeth short. (SOPHOREAE.)
3. Cladrastis. Flowers panicled, white. Pod flat. A tree.
4. Sophora. Flowers racemose, white. Pod terete, moniliform. Herbaceous.
II. Stamens monadelphous, or diadelphous (9 and 1, rarely 5 and 5);
nearly distinct in n. 14.
[*] Anthers of two forms; stamens monadelphous; leaves digitate or
simple; leaflets entire. (GENISTEAE.)
5. Crotalaria. Calyx 5-lobed. Pod inflated. Leaves simple.
6. Genista. Calyx 2-lipped. Pod flat. Seed estrophiolate. Leaves simple.
Shrubby.
7. Cytisus. Calyx 2-lipped. Pod flat. Seed strophiolate. Leaves
1--3-foliolate. Shrubby.
8. Lupinus. Calyx deeply 2-lipped. Pod flat. Leaves 7--11-foliolate.
[*][*] Anthers uniform (except in n. 13 and 29).
[+] Leaves digitately (rarely pinnately) 3-foliolate; leaflets
denticulate or serrulate; stamens diadelphous, pods small,
1--few-seeded, often enclosed in the calyx or curved or coiled.
(TRIFOLIEAE.)
9. Trifolium. Flowers capitate. Pods membranaceous, 1--6-seeded. Petals
adherent to the stamen-tube.
10. Melilotus. Flowers racemed. Pod coriaceous, wrinkled, 1--2-seeded.
11. Medicago. Flowers racemed or spiked. Pods curved or coiled,
1--few-seeded.
[+][+] Leaves unequally pinnate (or digitate in n. 13); pod not jointed;
not twining nor climbing (except n. 20).
[++] Flowers umbellate (solitary in ours) on axillary peduncles.
(LOTEAE.)
12. Hosaekia. Leaves 1--3-foliolate. Peduncle leafy-bracteate. Pod
linear.
[++][++] Flowers in spikes, racemes, or heads. (GALEGEAE.)
[=] Herbage glandular-dotted; stamens mostly monadelphous; pod small,
indehiscent, mostly 1-seeded; leaves pinnate (except in n. 13).
13. Psoralea. Corolla truly papilionaceous. Stamens 10, half of the
anthers often smaller or less perfect. Leaves mostly palmately
3--5-foliolate.
14. Amorpha. Corolla of one petal! Stamens 10, monadelphous at base.
15. Dalea. Corolla imperfectly papilionaceous. Stamens 9 or 10; the
cleft tube of filaments bearing 4 of the petals about its middle.
16. Petalostemon. Corolla scarcely at all papilionaceous. Stamens 5; the
cleft tube of filaments bearing 4 of the petals on its summit.
[=][=] Herbage not glandular-dotted (except in n. 23); stamens mostly
diadelphous; pod 2-valved, several-seeded; leaves pinnately
several-foliolate; flowers racemose.
[a.] Wings cohering with the keel; pod flat or 4-angled; hoary perennial
herbs.
17. Tephrosia. Standard broad. Pod flat. Leaflets pinnately veined.
18. Indigofera. Calyx and standard small. Pod 4-angled. Leaflets
obscurely veined.
[b.] Flowers large and showy; standard broad; wings free; woody;
leaflets stipellate.
19. Robinia. Pod flat, thin, margined on one edge. Trees or shrubs.
20. Wistaria. Pod tumid, marginless. Woody twiners; leaflets obscurely
stipellate.
[c.] Standard narrow, erect; pod turgid or inflated; perennial herbs.
21. Astragalus. Keel not tipped with a point or sharp appendage. Pod
with one or both the sutures turned in, sometimes dividing the cell
lengthwise into two.
22. Oxytropis. Keel tipped with an erect point; otherwise as Astragalus.
23. Glycyrrhiza. Flowers, etc., of Astragalus. Anther-cells confluent.
Pod prickly or muricate, short, nearly indehiscent.
[+][+][+] Herbs with pinnate or pinnately 1--3-foliolate leaves; no
tendrils; pod transversely 2--several-jointed, the reticulated 1-seeded
joints indehiscent, or sometimes reduced to one such joint. (HEDYSAREAE.)
[=] Leaves pinnate, with several leaflets, not stipellate.
24. AEschynomene. Stamens equally diadelphous (5 and 5). Calyx 2-lipped.
Pod several-jointed; joints square.
25. Coronilla. Stamens unequally diadelphous (9 and 1). Calyx 5-toothed.
Joints oblong, 4-angled. Flowers umbellate.
26. Hedysarum. Stamens unequally diadelphous (9 and 1). Calyx 5-cleft.
Pod several-jointed; joints roundish.
[=][=] Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate, rarely 1-foliolate.
27. Desmodium. Stamens diadelphous (9 and 1) or monadelphous below.
Calyx 2-lipped. Pod several-jointed. Flowers all of one sort and
complete. Leaflets stipellate.
28. Lespedeza. Stamens diadelphous (9 and 1); anthers uniform. Pod
1--2-jointed. Flowers often of 2 sorts, the more fertile ones apetalous.
Leaflets not stipellate.
29. Stylosanthes. Stamens monadelphous; anthers of 2 sorts. Pod
1--2-jointed. Calyx deciduous, the tube narrow and stalk-like. Leaflets
not stipellate.
[+][+][+][+] Herbs with abruptly pinnate leaves, terminated by a tendril
or bristle; stamens diadelphous; pod continuous, 2-valved,
few--several-seeded. (VICIEAE.)
30. Vicia. Wings adherent to the keel. Style filiform, bearded with a
tuft or ring of hairs at the apex.
31. Lathyrus. Wings nearly free. Style somewhat dilated and flattened
upwards, bearded down the inner face.
[+][+][+][+][+] Twining (sometimes only trailing) herbs, leaves
pinnately 3- (rarely 1- or 5--7-) foliolate; no tendrils; peduncles or
flowers axillary, pod not jointed, 2-valved. (PHASEOLEAE.)
[=] Leaves pinnate.
32. Apios. Herbaceous twiner; leaflets 5--7. Keel slender and much
incurved or coiled.
[=][=] Leaves 3-foliolate. Ovules and seeds several. Flowers not yellow.
33. Phaseolus. Keel spirally coiled; standard recurved-spreading. Style
bearded lengthwise. Flowers racemose. Seeds round-reniform.
34. Strophostyles. Keel long, strongly incurved. Style bearded
lengthwise. Flowers sessile, capitate, few. Seeds oblong, mostly
pubescent.
35. Centrosema. Calyx short, 5-cleft. Standard with a spur at the base;
keel broad, merely incurved. Style minutely bearded next the stigma.
36. Clitoria. Calyx tubular, 5-lobed. Standard erect, spurless; keel
scythe-shaped. Style bearded down the inner face.
37. Amphicarpaea. Calyx tubular, 4--5-toothed. Standard erect; keel
almost straight. Style beardless. Some nearly apetalous fertile flowers
next the ground.
38. Galactia. Calyx 4 cleft, the upper lobe broadest and entire. Style
beardless. Bract and bractlets minute, mostly deciduous.
[=][=][=] Leaves 1--3-foliolate. Ovules and seeds only one or two.
Flowers yellow.
39. Rhynchosia. Keel scythe shaped. Calyx 4--5-parted. Pod short.
SUBORDER II. Caesalpinieae. (BRASILETTO FAMILY.) Corolla perfectly or not
at all papilionaceous, sometimes nearly regular, imbricated in the bud,
the upper or odd petal inside and enclosed by the others, Stamens 10 or
fewer, commonly distinct, inserted on the calyx. Seeds anatropous, often
with albumen. Embryo straight.
[*] Flowers imperfectly papilionaceous, perfect. Trees.
40. Cercis. Calyx campanulate, 5-toothed. Pod flat, wing-margined.
Leaves simple.
[*][*] Flowers not at all papilionaceous, perfect. Calyx 5-parted.
Herbs.
41. Cassia. Leaves simply and abruptly pinnate, not glandular-punctate.
42. Hoffmanseggia. Leaves bipinnate, glandular-punctate.
[*][*][*] Flowers not at all papilionaceous, polygamous or dioecious.
Trees.
43. Gymnocladus. Leaves all doubly pinnate. Calyx-tube elongated, at its
summit bearing 5 petals resembling the calyx lobes. Stamens 10.
44. Gleditschia. Thorny; leaves simply and doubly pinnate. Calyx tube
short; its lobes, petals, and the stamens 3--5.
SUBORDER III. Mimoseae. (MIMOSA FAMILY.) Flower regular, small. Corolla
valvate in aestivation, often united into a 4--5-lobed cup, hypogynous,
as are the (often very numerous) exserted stamens. Embryo straight.
Leaves twice pinnate.
45. Desmanthus. Petals distinct. Stamens 5 or 10. Pod smooth.
46. Schrankia. Petals united below into a cup. Stamens 8 or 10. Pod
covered with small prickles or rough projections.
1. BAPTISIA, Vent. FALSE INDIGO.
Calyx 4--5-toothed. Standard not longer than the wings, its sides
reflexed; keel-petals nearly separate, and, like the wings, straight.
Stamens 10, distinct. Pod stalked in the persistent calyx, roundish or
oblong, inflated, pointed, many seeded.--Perennial herbs, with palmately
3-foliolate (rarely simple) leaves, which generally blacken in drying,
and racemed flowers. (Named from [Greek: bapti/zo], _to dye_, from the
economical use of some species, which yield a poor indigo.)
[*] _Racemes many, short and loose, terminal, often leafy at base,
flowers yellow._
1. B. tinctoria, R. Br. (WILD INDIGO.) Smooth and slender (2--3 deg. high),
rather glaucous; leaves almost sessile, leaflets rounded wedge-obovate
(1/2--11/2' long), stipules and bracts minute and deciduous, pods
oval-globose, on a stalk longer than the calyx.--Sandy dry soil, N. Eng.
to Fla., west to Minn. and La.
[*][*] _Racemes fewer, opposite the leaves._
[+] _Flowers yellow._
2. B. villosa, Ell. Sometimes soft-hairy, usually minutely pubescent
when young, erect (2--3 deg. high) with divergent branches; leaves almost
sessile, leaflets wedge-lanceolate or obovate, lower stipules lanceolate
and persistent, on the branchlets often small and subulate, racemes
many-flowered; pedicels short; bracts subulate, mostly deciduous; pods
ovoid-oblong and taper-pointed, minutely pubescent.--Va. to N. C. and
Ark.
[+][+] _Flowers white or cream-color._
3. B. leucophaea, Nutt. _Hairy, low_ (1 deg. high), with _divergent
branches_; _leaves almost sessile_, leaflets narrowly oblong-obovate or
spatulate; _stipules and bracts large and leafy, persistent; racemes
long_ (often 1 deg.), _reclined; flowers on elongated pedicels,
cream-color_; pods pointed at both ends, hoary.--Mich. to Minn., south
to Tex. April, May.
4. B. leucantha, Torr. & Gray. _Smooth_; stems, leaves, and racemes as
in n. 6; _stipules early deciduous; flowers white; pods oval-oblong,
raised on a stalk fully twice the length of the calyx_.--Alluvial soil,
Ont. and Ohio to Minn., south to Fla. and La.
5. B. alba, R. Br. _Smooth_ (1--3 deg. high), _the branches slender and
widely spreading; petioles slender; stipules and bracts minute_ and
deciduous; leaflets oblong or oblanceolate; racemes slender on
a long naked peduncle; _pods linear-oblong_ (1--11/2' long),
_short-stalked_.--Dry soil, S. Ind. and Mo., to La., N. C., and Fla.
July.
[+][+][+] _Flowers indigo-blue._
6. B. australis, R. Br. (BLUE FALSE-INDIGO.) Smooth, tall and stout
(4--5 deg.); leaflets oblong-wedge-form, obtuse; stipules lanceolate, as
long as the petioles, rather persistent; raceme elongated (1--2 deg.) and
many-flowered, erect; bracts deciduous; stalk of the oval-oblong pods
about the length of the calyx.--Alluvial soil, Penn. to Ga., west to
S. Ind., Mo., and Ark.
2. THERMOPSIS, R. Br.
Pod sessile or shortly stipitate in the calyx, flat, linear, straight or
curved. Otherwise nearly as Baptisia.--Perennial herbs, with palmately
3-foliolate leaves and foliaceous stipules, not blackening in drying,
and yellow flowers in terminal racemes. (Name from [Greek: the/rmos],
_the lupine_, and [Greek: o)/psis] _resemblance_.)
1. T. mollis, M. A. Curtis. Finely appressed-pubescent, 2--3 deg. high;
leaflets rhombic-lanceolate, 1--3' long; stipules narrow, mostly shorter
than the petiole; raceme elongated; pods narrow, short stipitate,
somewhat curved, 2--4' long.--Mountains of S. Va. and N. C.
2. T. rhombifolia, Nutt. Low, with smaller leaves and broad conspicuous
stipules; racemes short, few-flowered; pods broadly linear, spreading,
usually strongly curved.--Sask. to E. Col., near or in the mountains,
reported from central Kan.
3. CLADRASTIS, Raf. YELLOW-WOOD.
Calyx 5-toothed. Standard large, roundish, reflexed; the distinct
keel-petals and wings straight, oblong. Stamens 10, distinct; filaments
slender, incurved above. Pod short-stalked above the calyx, linear,
flat, thin, marginless, 4--6-seeded, at length 2-valved.--A handsome
tree, with yellow wood, smooth bark, nearly smooth pinnate leaves of
7--11 oval or ovate leaflets, and ample panicled racemes (10--20' long)
of showy white flowers drooping from the ends of the branches. Stipules
obsolete. Base of the petioles hollow, enclosing the leaf buds of the
next year. Bracts minute and fugacious. (Name from [Greek: kla/dos], _a
branch_, and [Greek: thraysto/s], _brittle_.)
1. C. tinctoria, Raf. Sometimes 50 deg. high; pods 3--4' long.--Rich
hillsides, central Ky. and Tenn. to N. C. Also in cultivation. The wood
yields a yellow dye.
4. SOPHORA, L.
Calyx bell-shaped, shortly 5-toothed. Standard rounded; keel nearly
straight. Stamens distinct or nearly so. Pod coriaceous, stipitate,
terete, more or less constricted between the seeds, indehiscent. Seeds
subglobose.--Shrubby or ours an herbaceous perennial, the leaves pinnate
with numerous leaflets, and flowers white or yellow in terminal racemes.
(Said by Linnaeus to be the ancient name of an allied plant.)
1. S. sericea, Nutt. Silky canescent, erect, 1 deg. high or less; leaflets
oblong-obovate, 3--6'' long; flowers white; pods few-seeded.--Central
Kan. to Col., Tex., and Ariz.
5. CROTALARIA, L. RATTLE-BOX.
Calyx 5-cleft, scarcely 2-lipped. Standard large, heart-shaped; keel
scythe-shaped. Sheath of the monadelphous stamens cleft on the upper
side; 5 of the anthers smaller and roundish. Pod inflated, oblong,
many-seeded.--Herbs with simple leaves. Flowers yellow. (Name from
[Greek: kro/talon], _a rattle_; the loose seeds rattling in the
coriaceous inflated pods.)
1. C. sagittalis, L. Annual, hairy (3--6' high); leaves oval or
oblong-lanceolate, scarcely petioled, stipules united and decurrent on
the stem, so as to be inversely arrow-shaped; peduncles few-flowered;
corolla not longer than the calyx; pod blackish.--Sandy soil; Maine to
Ill., Minn., Kan., and southward.