^ folium Su b t e r r a n e üm . Su b ter r an eo u s T rree fo il .
TRIFOLIUM Linnoei Gen. PL Di ADELPHIA D e CANDRIA.
t r if o l iü m
TRIFOLIUM
TRIFOLIUM
TRIFOLIUM
TRIFOLIUM
Flores fubcapitati. Legionen vix calyce longius, non dehifeens.
deciduum.
Rail Sylt. Gen. 23. Herb* flore paFilionaceo seü leö.umino' s.-ë'.
fubterraneum capitulis villofis fubquinquefloris, coma centrali reflexa rigida frû&urfi
obvolvente. Linnoei Syfi. Vegetab. p. 572. Sp. Pi. p. 1080.
pumilum fupinum, flofculis Jongis albis. PL Brit. Raii Syn. p. 327. tab. xiii. Jig. S
parvum Monfpefliilanum album cum paucis floribus. I. Bauhin 11. 380.
album tricoccum fubterraneum reticulatum. MorifonHiß. Ox. 1 1 .138. s. n . U iA . f i ,5.-
fubterraneum feu folliculos fub terram condens. Magnol. Botan. Monfb. %6^ Gouarl
Fl. Monfp.p. 198.- , ■ ' • J1 o
Hudfon Fl. Angl. p. 286. ed. 2. p. 328.
RaIdiX annua, fimplex, fibrofa.
[CApLES teretes, cra.fliufculi, ramofi, procumbentes !
[ et terræ velut apprefli, villofi.
MPULyE ovato-lanceolatae, nervofe.
PETIOLI pedunculis paulo longiores, denfe pilofi.
IÖLIA terna, obcordata, mollia, villofa, integerrima,
■ | maculis purpureis faspe variegata.
pDUNCULI triflori aut quadriflori, perafta floref-
i centiä verfus terram inflexi.
ttlpRES albi, longi, procul confpicui.
CALYX: Per ian th ium oblongum, tubulatum, fu-
perne rubrum, quinquedentatum, dentibus
fetaceis, pilofis, longitudine tubi, ßg. 8, au&.
COROLLA oblonga, calyce duplo longior, alba:
Vexillum venis dilute purpureis ftriatum:
Ala conniventes, vexillo breviores: Carina
parva, brevis, alis inclufa, ßg. 1.
BßTILLUM: Germen-ovatum: Stylus longus,
tenuis, adfeendens: Stigma fubrotundum,
= fig-9-'
■ pCARPIUM: L egumen fubrotundum, mono-
1 , fpermum, ßg. 6.
^k EN magnum, nitidum, fpadiceum, ßg. 7.
k P* Peraftä florefcentia, pedunculi verfus terram
defle&untur, et filamenta alba radiculis zemula
extremitatibus fuis exferunt, ßg. 2. hae vero
terram nequaquam penetrant, at furfum eri-
guntur, mox apices ftellatim expanduntur,
fig\ 3> H demum pericarpia obvolvunt, fig. 5.
ROOT annual, Ample, and fibrous.
STALKS about three inches in length, frequently
much longer, round, thickifh, branched, procumbent,
and as it were prefled to the ground,
covered with foft hairs.
STIPULAL oval, pointed, and ribbed.
LEAF-STALKS a little longer than the flower-ftalks,
and thickly covered with hairs.
LEAVES growing by threes, inverfely heart-fhaped,
foft, villous, entire at the edges, and frequently
variegated with purple fpots.
FLOWER-STALKS fupporting three or four flowers,
and bending towards the earth as they de*
cay.
FLOWERS white, long, and confpicuous at a dif»
tance.
CA L YX : a Perianthium oblong, tubular, on the
upper part red, having five long {lender hairy
teeth the length of the tube, fig . 8. mag.
COROLLA oblong, twice the length of the calyx,
white: S t a n d a r d ftriped-with faint purple
. veins: W ings clofing, fhprter than the
ftandard: K eel fmall, enclofed within the
X ' wings, fig. 1.
| PISTILLUM : G ermen oval: Sty le long, {lender,
| afeending: Stigma roundifh, fig. g.
| SEED-VESSEL: a roundifh Pod containing one feed,
| fig-6.
I SEED large, fhining, of a purplifli colour, fig. 7.
| OBS. The flowering being over, the flower-ftalks are
bent towards the earth, and from their extremities
put forth white filaments like roots,
| fig- 2. thefe. do not however penetrate the
earth, but rife upwards, their tips foon ex-
| panding into little ftars, fig. 3. and finally
| enclofe the feed-veflels, fig. g. ,
M vithftandmg this plant appears to have obtained its name o f fubterraneum from a mifapprehenfion of
HP onomy, we have chofen to retain it, rather than introduce confufion by altering .a name fo long efta-
Q> e'pecially as it has a tendency to excite an inquiry into the hiftory of the plant. ■>
f c t Y’ !n , has given a very accurate defeription of this plant, and related every circumflance
Tmarr r Place ln..lts ceconomy with his ufual precifion, except the following; “ Flofculis delapfis.aut
lamtulfn6^ i Sifa j J ad pediculum refle&untur et capitula fub terra condunt.” Here he aflerts, that the
In wlm llUle , are buried in the earth by means of the calyces or flower cups, but does not explain
lontained ^nner‘ In third edition of his Synopfis, publifhed by D illenius, in a note added to this plant,
BEciue e10 a P.are!l. “ s>. § i : following account occurs : “ Calices flofculis exaridis deorfum tendunt, radi-
im w i/ !rtre,nUatlbuS fuiS agere videntur> mox Vero laciniis eorum furfum verfis peculiaribus fibris humo
JK t tiom r^UC- t,?mPore u.num aiterumve femen terreni humoris beneficio intumefeit, novseque plantae pro-
Kwever on” -n* 1 Here *s an. attempt to account for the manner in which the heads are buried, founded.
|§fnv r a.miItaken obfervation ; for notwithftanding what authors have related, the feeds are not buried
FItfrnuft h , . way> nor is there any apparatus to effect it.
loots did B P l i f l on fl® firft examination of this plant, one would be tempted to think that you no-
Fore {‘rift nhp - Pnnff from f°.me part of the feed as it lay on the ground connefted with the plant; but a
Roots in ,.vat101? would difeover, that thofe white filaments which have the appearance of roots, were
Hither the M f f i g l they /prung from 'the end of the footftalk which fupports the flowers, and not from
lfearanpP J ! l°- eed ; th.a! inftead of penetrating into the earth, they foon burned upward, put on a ftar-like
" -e js 1 .eip extremities, and finally enclofed the feed-veflels in a kind o f prickly, head.
oiIipw*'3111 1 f°mething very extraordinary in this procefs of nature, yet it does not appear to be ufeful
inanv r way, than a« fnmo I’JnJ raAnritii »n ii.. L./ii. l_____ .i • i
ay> than as affording fome kind of fecurity to the feeds, which have not that thick coriaceous
| . lec* many of the Trefoils.
Rhlr i,y fror« thefe Angular circumftances, is eafily diftinguiflied from the others. It is not mentioned
■ ^Pr° vs witlLER,‘ C0P0- 1’ or F*-INNySus his FL Suecic. but occurs in G o u an ’s Fl. Mon/peiiac.
^ • 1 1M 1T* expofed gravelly fituations, particularly on heaths,
j 1 s white blofl'oms. It occurs on many parts of Blackhcath; and
Monfpeliac.
and is diflinguifhable even at a
flowers in June, July, and Auguft.