Scorpiurus
(from scorpios, a scorpion, and oura, a tail; alluding to the twisted form of the legumes). Caterpillar Plant. ORD. Leguminosae. A genus comprising about half-a-dozen species of hardy, nearly stem-less or decumbent herbs, natives of South Europe, North Africa as far as the Canary Isles, and Western Asia. Flowers yellow, often small, solitary or umbellate on axillary peduncles, nodding. Pods sub-terete, tubercled or muricated, circinate-involute. Leaves simple, entire, continuous with the petioles. The species are not very beautiful, and are rarely cultivated in this country. S. vermiculata is a trailing annual. Seeds should be sown in the open border, during spring, and the young plants treated as other hardy annuals. S. vermiculata (worm-shaped-podded). fl. solitary on the peduncles; standard streaked with red. June and July. Pods thick, glabrous, with the inner ribs almost obsolete, but the ten outer ones bear crowded stipitate tubercles, which are obtusely dilated at apex. l. tapering into the petioles. 1621.