late. Flowers in axillary or terminal racemes, which are often paniculate,
small, purplish, often turning green in withering.
. The North American species are all herbaceous perennials, belonging to the section
Chalarium, DC., and to t'he subdivision Trifoliati. They have been assiduously
studied by our excellent friend Dr. Boott, ot London, and compared with original
specimens in the herbaria of Linmeus, Clayton, Banks, Michaux, &c. Most
of our own specimens have been examined by Dr. Boott, who has kindly furnished
us with his remarks.; but he by no means considers the synonymy as satisfactorily
determined. According to Mr. Nuttall, not a single species of Desmodium occurs
west of the River Platte.
'§ 1. Stamens wholly or partly monadelphous: calyx toothed or nearly entire
: legume stipitate.
1. D. nudijlorum (DC.) : stem erect, puberulent. leafy at the summit;
leaflets broadly ovate, somewhat glaucous beneath; raceme radical and
scape-like, assurgent, usually naked, much longer than the stem : stamens
perfectly monadelphous ; calyx broadly campanulate, obscurely Bilabiate, upper
lip entire, the lower slightly 3-toothed; legumes on a very, long stipe,
straight on the back, the joints obscurely triangular:—D C. pro'dr. 2. p. 330 ;
Hook.jl. Bor-Am. 1 ,p. 154; Darlingt. jl. Cest. p. 418. Hedysarum nudi-
fiorum, L in n .; Michx. ! Jl. 2. p. 71; Pursh, fl. 2.p. 483; Ell. sk. 2. p. 209.
Dry woodlands, Canada! to Georgia! and Florida; west to Louisiana
July-Aug.—Stem 6-12 inches high. Leaflets 2-3 inches long, pale beneath,
ciliolate on the margin. Scape sometimes 3 feet or more in height, arising
from the base of the stem, often bearing 1-2 trifoliolate leaves. Panicle loose:
pedicels single or in pairs, 4-8 lines long, filiform. Calyx at length spreading;
the teeth very short, obtuse, except the middle one of the lower lip, which is
rather acute. Corolla bright purple, the keel pale: vexillum roundish-obo-
vate, with 2 dark spots near the base. Legume 2-3- (rarely 4-) jointed; the
joints slightly connected, a little concave on the back, sparingly pubescent
with short uncinate hairs ; stipe nearly an inch 'long. ' , ’
2. D. acuminatum (D C .): stem erect, simple, pubescent,- leafy, at the
summit; leaves on very long petioles ; leaflets conspicuously acuminate, the
lateral ones broadly ovate, terminal one roundish; panicle terminal, on a very
long naked peduncle ; calyx campanulate; the upper lip obtuse, slightly
emarginate; lower lip 3-lobed, the middle lobe acute ; stamens monadelphous
below the middle; joints of the legumes, 2-3, semioval.—DC. prodr. 2. p.
329; Hook.jl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 154; Darlingt.Jl. Cest. p. 417. Hedysarum
acuminatum, Michx ! Jl. 2. p. 72; Pursh, Jl. 2. p. 483; Bigel. fl. Bost. p.
275; Ell. sk. 2. p. 209. H. glutinosum, Willd. sp. 3. p. 1198.
Dry woodlands, Canada! to Florida! west to Louisiana! July.—Stem
about one foot high, sprinkled with soft hairs. Leaves 2-4 or sometimes 5
inches long, thin: petioles 2-6 inches in length. Stipules setaceous. Racemes
in a long racemose terminal panicle : pedicels 3-4 lines long. Flowers
much resembling those of the preceding species. Legume clothed with
short uncinate hairs ; the joints concave above, rounded below: stipe about
half an inch long.
3. D. pauciflorum (D C .): stem decumbent or assurgent, mostly simple,
somewhat hairy ; leaves distant ; lateral leaflets ovate, the terminal one
rhombic-ovate, all slightly acuminate and finely ciliate; stipules almost wanting
; racemes terminal, slender, few-flowered; calyx campanulate, indistinctly
bilabiate; upper lip 2-toothed, the lower 3-toothed, all the teeth very short
and acute ; stamens monadelphous below the middle; legume mostly 2-joint-
ed; the joints obtusely triangular; stipe shorter than the pedicels.—DC.
prodr. 2. p. 330; Darlingt.! Jl. Cest. p. 417. Hedysarum pauciflorum, Nutt.!
gen. 2. p. 109.
Woods, Pennsylvania! Western States! Arkansas! Louisiana! August;
—Stem afoot or more in height, sometimes a little branched, slender. Leaflets
1-3 inches long, pale beneath, thin, sprinkled with short hairs. Flowers
few (4-10), in a loose raceme or panicle: pedicels about one-third of an inch
long. Teeth of the calyx nearly equal. Corolla pale purple or nearly white.
Legumes resembling those of D. nudiflorum, but the joints are less angular.
§ 2. Stamens diadelphous {or with the tenth stamen connected with the others
only near the base) : calyx bilabiate, 'cleft below the middle: legume
mostly subsessile.
4. D. Canadense (DC.) : stem erect, hairy, striate; leaflets oblong-laneeo-
late, nearly glabrous or strigosely pubescent; stipules subulate; racemes terminal
and in the axils of the uppermost leaves ;- bracts ovate-lanceolate, with
a long acumination; calyx deeply bilabiate ; upper lip oblong, bifid at the
apex, the lower 3-parted; the segments lanceolate; joints of the legume semi-
ova,-triangular, truncate at both ends, hispid.—DC. ptodr. 2. p. 328; Hook.
fl.B o r .-A m l. p. 154. Hedysarum Canadense, L in n .; Willd. sp. 3. p.
1187 ; Bigel. Jl- Bost. p. 275.
Dry Woods, Canada ! (as far north at lat. 54°, Hook.) to Pennsylvania!
Western States ! August.—Stem 2-3 feet high, robust, often villous or hirsute.
Leaflets 2-3 inches long, tapering to the summit, but rather obtuse
Racemes' numerous, erect, forming a panicle at the summit of the stem.
Bracts imbricated, and very conspicuous before the flowers are expanded.
Stamens diadelphous the upper third of their length. Legume about one
inch long.; the joints convex on-the upper side, rounded and obscurely angular
below.
5. D. Canescens (D C .): stem erect,branching, striate, hairy and scabrous,
particularly.above ; leaflets ovate, rather acute or slightly acuminate, scabrous,
pubescent on both sides; stipules large, obliquely ovate) acuminate, finely
striate, ciliate, persistent; panicle large, very hairy, canescent; bracts ovate-
lanceolate, deciduous, ciliate; upper lip of the calyx entire or slightly bi-
fid at the apex; segments of the lower lip lanceolate, the middle one
narrow; stamens diadelphous nearly to the base-; legumes of 4-6 oblong-triangular
reticulated hispid joints.—DC. prodr. 2. p. 328 { Beck. bot. p. 84 ;
Darlingt.! Jl. Cest. p. 415. D. viridiflorum, DC. 1. C., excl. svn. D. Aikini-
anum, Beck ! 1. c. Hedysarum canescens, Linn. sp. 1054; Pursh, Jl. 2. p.
482! H. viridiflorum, Willd. sp. 3. p. 1192 (not of Linn.) ; Michx.! fl. 2. p.
71; Pursh, l. c. H. seaberrimum, Ell. sk. 2. p. 217. H. Aikini, Eaton. !
man. ed. 7. p. 166.
Moist rich soils, particularly along rivers, Massachusetts ! and New-York!
to S. Carolina land Florida. July-Aug.—Stem 3-5 feet high, rather stout,
more or less hairy, the pubescence partly very short and consisting of uncinate
hairs. Leaflets 2-4 inches long and 1-3 inches wide; the terminal one
usually somewhat rhombic, but often roundish, paler beneath, covered with
a minute'uncinate pubescence on both sides. Stipules 4-5 lines long, striate,
scarious. Flowers in large paniculate racemes, which are terminal and axillary
in the upper part of the stem; the branches densely clothed with canes-
cent spreading hairs: pedicels 3-6 lines long, solitary or in pairs. Calyx:
hairy, deeply bilabiate; the segments all acute. Corolla about 3 times as
long as the calyx, violet-purple, becoming greenish in withering. Legume
1 - l i inch long, usually 3-5- (sometimes 6-) jointed ; the joints convex on the
upper side, obtusely angular below, truncate at both ends : stipe scarcely as
long as the calyx.