Plants -- Identification; Wild flowers -- Great Britain
The Strawberry Trefoil (_T. fragiferum_) has long-stalked, axillary
heads of rose-coloured flowers which become very compact and
strawberry-like when fruiting, at which time they are half an inch or
more in diameter. Its creeping stem roots at the nodes; and the leaves
are long-stalked, with toothed leaflets. Each head is surrounded below
by a whorl of lobed bracts about as long as the calyces which become
swollen after flowering. This is common in England, and flowers during
July and August.
The Hare's-foot Trefoil (_T. arvense_) is a slender, erect or sub-erect
plant, covered with short, soft hairs, flowering from June to the end of
the summer. Its stem is branched, from six inches to a foot in length;
and the heads of flowers, on long, terminal or axillary stalks, are at
first nearly globular, but afterwards cylindrical and about three
quarters of an inch long. The flowers are small, pink, with corolla
shorter than the calyx. The latter has five very long, feathery teeth,
giving the whole head of flowers a soft and feathery appearance. The
plant is abundant, especially in the southern counties of England.
The Crimson Clover (_T. incarnatum_) was introduced into England and
cultivated as fodder, but it is often found wild as an escape from
cultivation. The plant is erect, varying from six inches to two feet in
height, and is covered with soft, silky hairs. It flowers in June and
July. The corolla, which is much longer than the calyx, is sometimes
almost white. This flower is shown on Plate IV.
[Illustration: THE LADY'S MANTLE.]
One of the commonest flowers of this genus is the Hop Trefoil (_T.
procumbens_)--a slender plant, with erect or sub-erect stem much
branched below. Its leaflets are obovate or obcordate, and toothed; and
the flower-heads are dense, globular, on long axillary stalks, each
consisting of about forty bright yellow flowers. When fruiting the heads
are turned downwards, and the pods are then covered by the persistent,
brown corollas. This species flowers from June to August.
The Lesser Yellow Trefoil (_T. minus_) is very much like the last, and
flowers at the same time, but is more slender and more procumbent; and
its flower-heads, which consist of from ten to twenty pale yellow
flowers, are on stiff peduncles.
Our last example of the _Leguminosæ_ is the Meadow Pea or Meadow
Vetchling (_Lathyrus pratensis_), which is a very common flower of moist
pastures. The plant is straggling, with a weak, angled stem that
supports itself by interlacing with the surrounding herbage, aided by
its branched tendrils. Its stipules are large, narrow-oval in form, with
an arrow-shaped base. The compound leaf has only one pair of lanceolate
leaflets, the remaining leaflets having been modified into tendrils for
the support of the plant. The long axillary peduncles each bear a
one-sided raceme of from six to ten yellow flowers, which are followed
by rather large, smooth pods. The plant flowers from June to September.
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