Anthyllis
(from anthos, a flower, and ioulos, down; flowers usually downy). Kidney Vetch. ORD. Leguminosae. Herbaceous or sub-shrubby plants, of variable habit. Flowers in spikes or heads; calyx tubular, five toothed, permanent after flowering, more or less inflated. Petals nearly equal. Although not extensively grown, all the species are very beautiful when in flower, the hardy sorts being admirably adapted for rockwork. The herbaceous perennials may be easily propagated by seed or division. The seeds of the annual kinds should be sown in a rather dry, warm situation in the open ground. The shrubby evergreens will need the protection of a frame or cool greenhouse in cold northern climates, and are best grown in a mixture of loam, sand, and peat. Young cuttings of most species will root in a pot of sandy soil, with a bell glass placed over them, in a cool house or frame.
A. Barba-Jovis (Jupiter's beard).* fl. pale yellow, numerous, in globose, bracteate heads. March. l. pinnate, and are as well as the branches, clothed with silky tomentum; leaflets nine to thirteen, oblong-linear. h. 4ft. to 8ft. Spain, 1640. Shrub.
A. erinacea (prickly).* fl. bluish-purple; heads few flowered, on short peduncles, bracteate. April. l. very few, oval, or oblong. h. 6in. to 12in. Spain, 1759. A much branched, spiny, almost leafless, and slow-growing species; hardy in a dry sunny position on the rockery. SYN. Erinacea hispanica.
A. Hermanniae (Hermann's). fl. yellow; heads few flowered, nearly sessile in the axils of the upper leaves. April. l. almost sessile, simple, or trifoliate; leaflets oblong-cuneated, glabrous or clothed with adpressed pubescence. h. 2ft. to 4ft. Corsica, 1739. Shrubby, much branched. A. montana (mountain).* fl. pink or purplish, in dense heads, on peduncles, with a leafy involucre. June. l. pinnate, and are as well as the branches, silky and hoary; leaflets numerous, oval-oblong, acute, small, entire. h. 3in. to 6in. Alps of Europe, 1759. A very handsome little rock plant, with a dwarf and tufted habit.
A. tetraphylla (four-leaved). fl. white; heads axillary, sessile, few flowered. July. l. pinnate, the terminal leaflets ovate and large, the other three small and acute. South Europe, 1640. A procumbent annual. A. Vulneraria (Common Woundwort).* fl. generally yellow, sometimes white, red, or pinkish, in crowded twin heads. Summer. l. pinnate, with five or more unequal leaflets; the lower ones smallest. An elegant native herbaceous, perennial, admirably adapted for rockwork. It is plentiful in most dry pastures. There are several varieties, the best of which is alba.