Trigonella L., Sp. Pl. 776. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5. 338.1754; Baker in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 2: 87. 1879; Ali, Pak. J. For. 17(2): 255. 1967; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 10: 557; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 290.

Annual, fragrant herbs; stems usually several, much branched, diffuse, procumbent or erect. Leaves pinnately trifoliate; leaflets small, obovate, upper half toothed, lower entire, wedge shaped, veins prominent, parallel, running out into small, sharp teeth; stipules united to the petiole, lanceolate, entire or toothed, long-pointed. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 5-merous, perigynous, small, few, pale yellow, purple, blue or white, in umbels or short racemes at the end of axillary stalks often tipped with an awl-like point, occasionally flowers solitary; peduncle long in fruits; pedicels short; bracts minute. Calyx campanulate; teeth 5, nearly equal, very narrow, acute. Corolla papilionaceous, free from staminal tube; petals narrow; vexillum oblong or obovate, broad at base, sometimes broadly clawed; vexillum and wings nearly equal; keel shorter, obtuse. Stamens 10, usually diadelphous (9+1), vexillary stamen nearly or quite free, anthers uniform. Monocarpellary, ovary sessile or stipitate, ovules many, placentation marginal; style glabrous, slightly incurved; stigma terminal, minute. Legume much longer than calyx, flat or terete, straight or curved, tapering at both ends, 1-many seeded, dehiscing along one suture or indehiscent, fruit coat reticulate.

104 species

Trigonella corniculata (L.) L., Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1180. 1759; Baker in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 2: 88. 1879; Ali, Pak. J. For. 17(2): 259. 1967; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 296; Trifolium corniculatum L., Sp. Pl. 2: 766.1753.

Annual herb, erect to procumbent, 20-40 cm long. Stem branched, pubescent. Petioles up to 4.5 cm long, pubescent. Leaves up to 8 cm long, pinnately trifoliate, laterals subsessile, petiolule up to 1 mm long; terminal on 2-4 mm long petiolule; leaflet blade 1-3(-4) cm x 0.8-3.5 cm, obovate to oblong-cuneate or wedge-shaped, apex obtuse, truncate to emarginate, dentate in upper half, lower half entire, base cuneate, glabrous above, sparsely pilose along the nerves below. Stipules 4-10 mm x 3-3.5 mm, adnate to the base of petiole, lanceolate, dentate, incised or laciniate. Peduncle axillary, 1.5-5.0 (-6.0) cm long, sparsely hairy, 8-20 flowers crowded at apex, yellow, 8-9 mm long, bisexual, zygomorphic, 5-merous, perigynous; bracts 0.5 mm long, linear; pedicels short, 2-3 mm long, hairy. Calyx 3-4 mm long; tube 1.5-2.0 mm long, slightly oblique; lobes 5, subequal, 1-1.5 mm long, two lobes (posterior) larger than others. Corolla 8-9 mm long, papilionaceous, yellow; vexillum 8-9 mm x 5-5.5 mm, obovate, apex emarginate, claw ca. 1 mm long; wings ca. 7 mm long, oblong, auriculate, claw ca. 1.5 mm long; keel ca. 8.5 mm long, claw ca. 1.5 mm long. Stamens 10, diadelphous (9+1), ca. 7 mm long; vexillary stamen completely free; filament apices swollen. Ovary shortly stipitate, flat ca. 4.5 mm long, unilocular with up to 12 ovules, placentation marginal; style linear, ca. 3.5 mm long; stigma simple. Legumes 10-20 mm x 2-3 mm, linear, acuminate, curved, glabrous with transverse anastomosing veins, 4-8 seeded. Seeds brown, oblong, ca. 2 mm x 1.5 mm.

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