Calyx 2-lipped. Standard oblong-oval, spreading; keel oblong, straight,
deflexed. Stamens monadelphous, the sheath entire; 5 alternate anthers
shorter. Pod mostly flat and several-seeded.--Shrubby plants, with
simple leaves, and yellow flowers. (Name from the Celtic _gen_, a bush.)
G. TINCTORIA, L. (DYER'S GREEN-WEED.) Low, not thorny, with
striate-angled erect branches; leaves lanceolate; flowers in spiked
racemes.--Established on sterile hills, eastern N. Y. and Mass. (Adv.
from Eu.)
7. CYTISUS, Tourn. BROOM.
Calyx campanulate, with 2 short broad lips. Petals broad, the keel
obtuse and slightly incurved. Stamens monadelphous. Pod flat, much
longer than the calyx. Seeds several, with a strophiole at the
hilum.--Shrubs, with stiff green branches, leaves mostly digitately
3-foliolate, and large bright yellow flowers. (The ancient Roman name of
a plant, probably a Medicago.)
C. SCOPARIUS, Link. (SCOTCH BROOM.) Glabrous or nearly so (3--5 deg. high);
leaflets small, obovate, often reduced to a single one; flowers solitary
or in pairs, on slender pedicels, in the axils of the old leaves,
forming leafy racemes along the upper branches; style very long and
spirally incurved.--Va. and southward. (Nat. from Eu.)
8. LUPINUS, Tourn. LUPINE.
Calyx very deeply 2-lipped. Sides of the standard reflexed; keel
scythe-shaped, pointed. Sheath of the monadelphous stamens entire;
anthers alternately oblong and roundish. Pod oblong, flattened, often
knotty by constrictions between the seeds. Cotyledons thick and
fleshy.--Herbs, with palmately 1--15-foliolate leaves, stipules adnate
to base of the petiole, and showy flowers in terminal racemes or spikes.
(Name from _Lupus_, a wolf, because these plants were thought to devour
the fertility of the soil.)
1. L. perennis, L. (WILD LUPINE.) Perennial, somewhat hairy; stem erect
(1--2 deg.); leaflets 7--11, oblanceolate; flowers in a long raceme, showy,
purplish-blue (rarely pale); pods broad, very hairy, 5--6-seeded.--Sandy
soil, N. Eng. to Minn., Mo., and south to the Gulf.--Var. OCCIDENTALIS,
Watson, has stems and petioles more villous.--Mich. and Wisc.
2. L. pusillus, Pursh. Annual, low, villous; leaflets usually 5; racemes
short, sessile; flowers purple or rose-color; pods oval, hirsute,
2-seeded.--Central Dak. and Kan., and westward.
9. TRIFOLIUM, Tourn. CLOVER. TREFOIL.
Calyx persistent, 5-cleft, the teeth bristle-form. Corolla mostly
withering or persistent; the claws of all the petals, or of all except
the oblong or ovate standard, more or less united below with the
stamen-tube; keel short and obtuse. Tenth stamen more or less separate.
Pods small and membranous, often included in the calyx, 1--6-seeded,
indehiscent, or opening by one of the sutures.--Tufted or diffuse herbs.
Leaves mostly palmately, sometimes pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets
usually toothed. Stipules united with the petiole. Flowers in heads or
spikes. (Name from _tres_, three, and _folium_, a leaf.)
[*] _Flowers sessile in dense heads; corolla purple or purplish,
withering away after flowering, tubular below, the petals more or less
coherent with each other._
[+] _Calyx-teeth silky-plumose, longer than the whitish corolla; root
annual._
T. ARVENSE, L. (RABBIT-FOOT or STONE CLOVER.) Silky, branching (5--10'
high); leaflets oblanceolate; heads becoming very soft-silky and
grayish, oblong or cylindrical.--Old fields, etc. (Nat. from Eu.)
[+][+] _Calyx scarcely hairy except a bearded ring in the throat,
shorter than the rose-purple elongated-tubular corolla. (Short-lived
perennials; flowers sweet-scented.)_
T. PRATENSE, L. (RED C.) Stems ascending, somewhat hairy; _leaflets oval
or obovate, often notched_ at the end and marked on the upper side with
a pale spot; _stipules broad, bristle-pointed; heads ovate,
sessile_.--Fields and meadows; largely cultivated. (Adv. from Eu.)
T. MEDIUM, L. (ZIGZAG C.) Stems zigzag, smoothish; _leaflets oblong,
entire_, and spotless; _heads mostly stalked_; flowers deeper purple,
otherwise too like the last.--Dry hills, N. Scotia to E. Mass. (Adv.
from Eu.)
[*][*] _Flowers pedicelled in umbel-like round heads on a naked
peduncle, their short pedicels reflexed when old; corolla white or
rose-color, withering-persistent and turning brownish in fading; the
tubular portion short._
1. T. reflexum, L. (BUFFALO C.) Annual or biennial; _stems ascending,
downy; leaflets obovate-oblong_, finely toothed; stipules thin, ovate;
standard rose-red, wings and keel whitish; calyx-teeth hairy; pods
3--5-seeded.--Western N. Y. and Ont. to Iowa, Kan., and southward.
2. T. stoloniferum, Muhl. (RUNNING BUFFALO-C.) Smooth, _perennial; stems
with long runners_ from the base; _leaflets broadly obovate or
obcordate_, minutely toothed; heads loose; flowers white, tinged with
purple; pods 2-seeded.--Open woodlands and prairies, Ohio and Ky., west
to Iowa and Kan.
3. T. repens, L. (WHITE C.) Smooth, perennial; the slender _stems
spreading and creeping; leaflets inversely heart-shaped_ or merely
notched, obscurely toothed; stipules scale-like, narrow; petioles and
especially the peduncles very long; heads small and loose; _calyx much
shorter than the white corolla_; pods about 4-seeded.--Fields and
copses, everywhere. Indigenous only in the northern part of our range,
if at all.
4. T. Carolinianum, Michx. Somewhat pubescent small perennial,
_procumbent, in tufts_; leaflets wedge-obovate and slightly notched;
stipules ovate, foliaceous; heads small on slender peduncles;
_calyx-teeth_ lanceolate, nearly _equalling the purplish corolla;
standard pointed_; pods 4-seeded.--Waste ground near Philadelphia, south
to Va., Fla., and Tex.
T. HYBRIDUM, L. (ALSIKE C.) Resembling T. repens, but the stems erect or
ascending, not rooting at the nodes; flowers rose-tinted.--Becoming
common. (Nat. from Eu.)
[*][*][*] _Flowers short-pedicelled in close heads, reflexed when old;
corolla yellow, persistent, turning dry and chestnut-brown with age, the
standard becoming hood-shaped; annuals, fl. in summer._
T. AGRARIUM, L. (YELLOW or HOP-C.) Smoothish, somewhat upright (6--12'
high); _leaflets obovate-oblong, all three from the same point_
(palmate) and nearly sessile; _stipules narrow, cohering with the
petiole for more than half its length_.--Sandy fields and roadsides; N.
Scotia to Va.; also in western N. Y. (Nat. from Eu.)
T. PROCUMBENS, L. (LOW HOP-C.) Stems spreading or ascending, pubescent
(3--6' high); _leaflets wedge-obovate_, notched at the end, _the lateral
at a small distance from the other_ (pinnately 3-foliolate); _stipules
ovate, short_.--Sandy fields and roadsides, common.--Var. MINUS, Gray,
has smaller heads, the standard not much striate with age. (Nat. from
Eu.)
10. MELILOTUS, Tourn. MELILOT. SWEET CLOVER.
Flowers much as in Trifolium, but in spike-like racemes, small; corolla
deciduous, free from the stamen-tube. Pod ovoid, coriaceous, wrinkled,
longer than the calyx, scarcely dehiscent, 1--2-seeded.--Annual or
biennial herbs, fragrant in drying, with pinnately 3-foliolate leaves,
leaflets toothed. (Name from [Greek: me/li], _honey_, and [Greek:
loto/s], some leguminous plant.)
M. OFFICINALIS, Willd. (YELLOW MELILOT.) Upright (2--4 deg. high); leaflets
obovate-oblong, obtuse; _corolla yellow_; the petals nearly of equal
length.--Waste or cultivated grounds. (Adv. from Eu.)
M. ALBA, Lam. (WHITE M.) Leaflets truncate; _corolla white_; the
standard longer than the other petals.--In similar places. (Adv. from
Eu.)
11. MEDICAGO, Tourn. MEDICK.
Flowers nearly as in Melilotus. Pod 1--several-seeded, scythe-shaped,
incurved, or variously coiled.--Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; leaflets
toothed; stipules often cut. ([Greek: Medike/], the name of Lucerne,
because it came to the Greeks from Media.)
M. SATIVA, L. (LUCERNE. ALFALFA.) Upright, smooth, perennial; leaflets
obovate-oblong, toothed; _flowers (purple) racemed_; pods spirally
twisted.--Cultivated for green fodder; spontaneous from Mass. to Minn.
and Kan. (Adv. from Eu.)
M. LUPULINA, L. (BLACK MEDICK. NONESUCH.) Procumbent, pubescent, annual;
leaflets wedge-obovate, toothed at the apex; _flowers in short spikes_
(yellow); _pods kidney-form_, 1-seeded.--Waste places, N. Eng. to Fla.,
west to Mich., Iowa, and Mo. (Adv. from Eu.)
M. MACULATA, Willd. (SPOTTED MEDICK.) Spreading or procumbent annual,
somewhat pubescent; leaflets obcordate, with a purple spot, minutely
toothed; _peduncles 3--5-flowered_; flowers yellow; _pods compactly
spiral_, of 2 or 3 turns, compressed, _furrowed on the thick edge_, and
fringed with a double row of curved prickles.--N. Brunswick to Mass.
(Adv. from Eu.)
M. DENTICULATA, Willd. Nearly glabrous; _pods loosely spiral, deeply
reticulated_, and with a _thin keeled edge_; otherwise like the last,
and with the same range. (Adv. from Eu.)
12. HOSACKIA, Douglas.
Calyx-teeth nearly equal. Petals free from the diadelphous stamens;
standard ovate or roundish, its claw often remote from the others; wings
obovate or oblong; keel incurved. Pod linear, compressed or somewhat
terete, sessile, several-seeded.--Herbs, with pinnate leaves (in ours
1--3-foliolate, with gland-like stipules), and small yellow or reddish
flowers in umbels (ours solitary) upon axillary leafy-bracteate
peduncles. (Named for _Dr. David Hosack_, of New York.)
1. H. Purshiana, Benth. Annual, more or less silky-villous or glabrous,
often 1 deg. high or more; leaves nearly sessile, the 1--3 leaflets ovate to
lanceolate (3--9'' long); peduncles often short, bracteate with a single
leaflet.--N. C.; S. W. Minn. to Ark., and west to the Pacific. Very
variable.
13. PSORALEA, L.
Calyx 5-cleft, persistent, the lower lobe longest. Stamens diadelphous
or sometimes monadelphous. Pod seldom longer than the calyx, thick,
often wrinkled, indehiscent, 1-seeded.--Perennial herbs, usually
sprinkled all over or roughened (especially the calyx, pods, etc.) with
glandular dots or points. Leaves mostly 3--5-foliolate. Flowers spiked
or racemed, white or mostly blue-purplish. Root sometimes tuberous and
farinaceous. (Name, [Greek: psorale/os], _scurfy_, from the glands or
dots.)
[*] _Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate._
1. P. Onobrychis, Nutt. Nearly smooth and free from glands, _erect_
(3--5 deg. high); _leaflets lanceolate-ovate, taper-pointed_ (3' long);
_stipules and bracts awl-shaped_; racemes elongated; peduncle shorter
than the leaves; pods roughened and wrinkled.--River-banks, Ohio to Ill.
and Mo.; also south and east to S. C. July.
2. P. stipulata, Torr. & Gray. Nearly smooth and glandless; _stems
diffuse; leaflets ovate-elliptical_, reticulated; _stipules ovate;
flowers in heads_ on rather short peduncles; _bracts broadly ovate,
sharp-pointed_.--Rocks, S. Ind. and Ky. June, July.
3. P. melilotoides, Michx. Somewhat pubescent, more or less glandular;
_stems erect_ (1--2 deg. high), slender; _leaflets lanceolate or narrowly
oblong; spikes oblong_, long-peduncled; _stipules awl-shaped_; bracts
ovate or lanceolate, taper-pointed; pods strongly wrinkled
transversely.--Dry soil, Fla. to Tenn., S. Ind. and Kan. June.
[*][*] _Leaves palmately 3--5-foliolate; roots not tuberous._
4. P. tenuiflora, Pursh. Slender, erect, much branched and bushy (2--4 deg.
high), _minutely hoary-pubescent_ when young; leaflets varying from
linear to obovate-oblong (1/2--11/2' long), glandular-dotted; _flowers_
(2--3'' long) _in loose racemes_; lobes of the calyx and bracts ovate,
acute; pod glandular. (P. floribunda, _Nutt._)--Prairies, Minn. to
Ill., Tex., and westward. June--Sept.
5. P. argophylla, Pursh. _Silvery silky-white_ all over, erect,
divergently branched (1--3 deg. high); leaflets _elliptical-lanceolate;
spikes interrupted_; lobes of the calyx and _bracts lanceolate_.--High
plains, N. Wisc. to Iowa, Kan., and westward. June.--Flowers 4--5''
long.
6. P. digitata, Nutt. More slender and less hoary, 1--2 deg. high; leaflets
linear-oblanceolate; bracts of the interrupted spike obcordate;
calyx-lobes oblong, acute.--Central Kan. to Col. and Tex.
7. P. lanceolata, Pursh. Glabrous or nearly so, yellowish green, densely
punctate; leaflets 3, linear to oblanceolate; flowers small, in very
short spikes; calyx 1'' long, with short broad teeth.--Central Kan. to
the Sask. and westward.
[*][*][*] _Leaves palmately 5-foliolate; root tuberous; spike-like
racemes dense._
8. P. esculenta, Pursh. Roughish hairy all over; stem stout (5--15'
high) and erect from a tuberous or turnip-shaped farinaceous root;
leaflets obovate- or lanceolate-oblong; spikes oblong, long-peduncled;
lobes of the calyx and bracts lanceolate, nearly equalling the corolla
(1/2' long).--High plains, Sask. to Wisc., Iowa, and Tex. June. The POMME
BLANCHE, or POMME DE PRAIRIE, of the voyageurs.
9. P. hypogaea, Nutt. Tuber small; nearly acaulescent, hoary with
appressed hairs; leaflets linear; spikes short-capitate, on peduncles
1/2--2' long; calyx narrow, 3--6'' long.--Central Kan. to Col. and Tex.
10. P. cuspidata, Pursh. Stout, tall, from a deep-seated tuber, hoary
with appressed hairs; leaflets usually broadly oblanceolate, obtuse;
flowers large, the petals (6--8'' long) exceeding the lanceolate-lobed
calyx.--Central Kan. to Col. and Tex.
14. AMORPHA, L. FALSE INDIGO.
Calyx inversely conical, 5-toothed, persistent. Standard (the other
petals entirely wanting!) wrapped around the stamens and style. Stamens
10, monadelphous at the very base, otherwise distinct. Pod
oblong, longer than the calyx, 1--2-seeded, roughened, tardily
dehiscent.--Shrubs, with odd-pinnate leaves; the leaflets marked with
minute dots, usually stipellate, the midvein excurrent. Flowers violet
or purple, crowded in clustered terminal spikes. (Name, [Greek:
a)/morphos], _deformed_, from the absence of four of the petals.)
[*] _Pods 1-seeded; leaflets small_ (1/2' long or less), _crowded_.
1. A. canescens, Nutt. (LEAD-PLANT.) _Whitened with hoary down_ (1--3 deg.
high); leaflets 15--25 pairs, oblong-elliptical, becoming smoothish
above; spikes usually clustered at the summit.--Sask. to Ind. and Tex.,
west to the Rocky Mts.; also eastward to Ga.
2. A. microphylla, Pursh. _Nearly glabrous_ throughout, 1 deg. high or less;
leaflets rather rigid; spikes usually solitary.--Sask. to Minn. and
Iowa, west to the Rocky Mts.
[*][*] _Pods 2-seeded; leaflets larger, scattered._
3. A. fruticosa, L. (FALSE INDIGO.) A tall shrub, rather
pubescent or smoothish, leaflets 8--12 pairs, oblong to broadly
elliptical.--River-banks, S. Penn. to Fla., west to Sask., Tex., and the
Rocky Mts. Very variable.
15. DALEA, L.
Calyx 5-cleft or toothed. Corolla imperfectly papilionaceous; petals all
on claws; the standard heart-shaped, inserted in the bottom of the
calyx; the keel and wings borne on the middle of the monadelphous sheath
of filaments, which is cleft down one side. Stamens 10, rarely 9. Pod
membranaceous, 1-seeded, indehiscent, enclosed in the persistent
calyx.--Mostly herbs, more or less glandular-dotted, with minute
stipules; the small flowers in terminal spikes or heads. (Named for
_Samuel Dale_, an English botanist.)
[*] _Glabrous; flowers white or rose-color; leaflets 4--20 pairs;
annuals._
1. D. alopecuroides, Willd. Erect (1--2 deg. high); leaflets 10--20 pairs,
linear-oblong; flowers light rose-color or whitish, in cylindrical
spikes; bracts ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, deciduous; calyx very
villous, with long slender teeth.--Alluvial soil, Minn. to Ill. and
Ala., west to the Rocky Mts.
2. D. laxiflora, Pursh. Erect (1--4 deg. high), branching; leaflets 3--5
pairs, linear, 2--3'' long; spikes loosely-flowered; bracts conspicuous,
persistent, almost orbicular and very obtuse; petals white; calyx
densely villous, the long teeth beautifully plumose.--Iowa and Mo. to
Tex., west to Col.
[*][*] _Pubescent; leaflets 3--4 pairs; perennial herbs._
3. D. aurea, Nutt. Stems erect and simple, 1--3 deg. high; leaflets
oblong-obovate to linear-oblong, more or less silky-pubescent; spikes
solitary, oblong-ovate, very compact and densely silky; bracts short,
rhombic-ovate; petals yellow.--On the plains, Mo. to Tex., and westward.
4. D. lanata, Spreng. Very pubescent throughout, 1--2 deg. high, branching;
leaflets obovate to oblong-obovate, 2--3'' long; spikes slender, rather
loose, the obovate acute bracts equalling the small short-toothed calyx;
petals short, purple.--Central Kan. to Tex., and westward.
16. PETALOSTEMON, Michx. PRAIRIE CLOVER.
Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla indistinctly papilionaceous; petals all on
thread-shaped claws, 4 of them nearly similar and spreading, borne on
the top of the monadelphous and cleft sheath of filaments, alternate
with the 5 anthers; the fifth (standard) inserted in the bottom of the
calyx, heart-shaped or oblong. Pod membranaceous, enclosed in the
calyx, indehiscent, 1--2 seeded.--Chiefly perennial herbs, upright,
glandular-dotted, with crowded odd-pinnate leaves, minute stipules, and
small flowers in very dense terminal and peduncled heads or spikes.
(Name combined of the two Greek words for petal and stamen, alluding to
the peculiar union of these organs in this genus.)
1. P. violaceus, Michx. _Smoothish; leaflets 5, narrowly linear; heads
globose-ovate_, or oblong-cylindrical when old; bracts pointed, not
longer than the silky-hoary calyx; _corolla rose-purple_.--Dry prairies,
Minn. to Ind. and Tex., west to the Rocky Mts. July.
2. P. candidus, Michx. _Smooth; leaflets 7--9, lanceolate or
linear-oblong; heads oblong_, when old cylindrical; bracts awned, longer
than the nearly glabrous calyx; _corolla white_.--With n. 1.
3. P. villosus, Nutt. _Soft-downy or silky_ all over; _leaflets 13--17,
linear or oblong_, small (4--5'' long); _spikes cylindrical_ (1--5'
long), short-peduncled, soft-villous; _corolla rose-color_.--Wisc. to
Mo., west to the Rocky Mts.
4. P. foliosus, Gray. _Smooth_, very leafy; _leaflets 15--29,
linear-oblong; spikes cylindrical_, short-peduncled; bracts
slender-awned from a lanceolate base, exceeding the glabrous calyx;
_petals rose-color_.--River-banks, Ill. and Tenn.
5. P. multiflorus, Nutt. _Glabrous_ throughout, erect, branching;
leaflets 3--9, linear to oblong; _spikes globose_, the subulate
setaceous bracts much shorter than the acutely toothed calyx, petals
white.--Kan. to Tex.
17. TEPHROSIA, Pers. HOARY PEA.
Calyx about equally 5-cleft. Standard roundish, usually silky outside,
turned back, scarcely longer than the coherent wings and keel. Stamens
monadelphous or diadelphous. Pod linear, flat, several seeded,
2-valved.--Hoary perennial herbs, with odd-pinnate leaves, and white or
purplish racemed flowers. Leaflets mucronate, veiny. (Name from [Greek:
tephro/s], _ash-colored_ or _hoary_.)
1. T. Virginiana, Pers. (GOAT'S RUE. CATGUT.) _Silky-villous_ with
whitish hairs when young; _stem erect and simple_ (1--2 deg. high), _leafy_
to the top; leaflets 17--29, linear-oblong; flowers large and numerous,
clustered in a terminal _oblong dense raceme or panicle_,
yellowish-white marked with purple.--Dry sandy soil. June, July.--Roots
long and slender, very tough.
2. T. spicata, Torr. & Gray. _Villous with rusty hairs_; stems branched
below, straggling or ascending (2 deg. long), _few-leaved_; leaflets 9--15,
obovate or oblong-wedge-shaped, often notched; _flowers few_, in a loose
and interrupted _very long-peduncled spike_, reddish.--Dry soil, from
Del. and Va. to Fla. and Miss. July.
3. T. hispidula, Pers. Hairy with some long and rusty or only minute and
appressed pubescence; stems slender (9--24' long), divergently branched,
straggling; leaflets 5--15, oblong, varying to obovate-wedge-shaped and
oblanceolate; _peduncles longer than the leaves, 2--4-flowered_, flowers
reddish-purple.--Dry sandy soil, Va. to Fla. and Ala.
18. INDIGOFERA, L. INDIGO.
Calyx small, equally 5-cleft. Standard roundish, silky outside, wings
coherent; keel erect, gibbous or spurred at base. Stamens diadelphous;
connective gland-like. Pod 1--several-seeded, septate within between the
seeds.--Herbs or shrubs, mostly canescent with appressed hairs fixed by
the middle, with odd-pinnate faintly-nerved leaves, and pink or purplish
flowers in naked axillary spikes. (So named because some of the species
yield the indigo of commerce.)
1. I. leptosepala, Nutt. A perennial herb, 1/2--2 deg. high; leaflets 5--9,
oblanceolate; spikes very loose; pods linear, 6--9 seeded, obtusely
4-angled, reflexed, 1' long.--Kan. to Tex. and Fla.
19. ROBINIA, L. LOCUST-TREE.
Calyx short, 5-toothed, slightly 2-lipped. Standard large and rounded,
turned back, scarcely longer than the wings and keel. Stamens
diadelphous. Pod linear, flat, several-seeded, margined on the
seed-bearing edge, at length 2-valved.--Trees or shrubs, often with
prickly spines for stipules. Leaves odd-pinnate, the ovate or oblong
leaflets stipellate. Flowers showy, in hanging axillary racemes. Base of
the leaf-stalks covering the buds of the next year. (Named in honor of
_John Robin_, herbalist to Henry IV. of France, and his son _Vespasian
Robin_, who first cultivated the Locust-tree in Europe.)
1. R. Pseudacacia, L. (COMMON LOCUST or FALSE ACACIA.) Branches naked;
_racemes slender, loose_; flowers white, fragrant; pod smooth.--S. Penn.
to Ind., Iowa, and southward. Commonly cultivated as an ornamental tree,
and for its valuable timber; naturalized in many places. June.
2. R. viscosa, Vent. (CLAMMY L.) _Branchlets and leaf-stalks clammy;
flowers crowded in oblong racemes_, tinged with rose-color, nearly
inodorous; pod glandular-hispid.--Va. to N. C. and Ga., in the
mountains. Cultivated, like the last, and often escaped. June.
3. R. hispida, L. (BRISTLY L. or ROSE ACACIA.) Shrub 3--8 deg. high;
_branchlets and stalks bristly_; flowers large and deep rose-color,
inodorous; pods glandular-hispid.--Varies with less bristly or nearly
naked branchlets; also with smaller flowers, etc.--Mts. of Va. to N. C.
and Ga. May, June.
20. WISTARIA, Nutt.
Calyx campanulate, somewhat 2-lipped; upper lip of 2 short teeth, the
lower of 3 longer ones. Standard roundish, large, turned back, with 2
callosities at its base; keel scythe-shaped; wings doubly auricled at
the base. Stamens diadelphous. Pods elongated, thickish, knobby,
stipitate, many-seeded, at length 2-valved. Seeds large.--Woody twiners,
climbing high, with minute stipules, pinnate leaves of 9--13
ovate-lanceolate leaflets, with or without minute stipels, and dense
racemes of large and showy lilac-purple flowers. (Dedicated to the late
_Professor Wistar_, of Philadelphia.)
1. W. frutescens, Poir. Downy or smoothish when old; wings of the
corolla with one short auricle and an awl-shaped one as long as the
claw.--Alluvial grounds, Va. to Fla., west to S. Ind., Kan. and La.
May.--Sometimes cultivated for ornament, as is the still handsomer
Chinese species.
21. ASTRAGALUS, Tourn. MILK-VETCH.