Kidney-vetch

Kidney-vetch (Anthyllis), a genus of plants of the natural order Leguminosæ, sub-order Papilionaceæ, containing a number of species, some shrubby and some herbaceous, natives chiefly of the Mediterranean. They have the petals nearly equal in length, and an oval 1-3-seeded pod, enclosed in the permanent inflated and generally downy calyx. The only British species is the Common Kidney-vetch (A. vulneraria), also called Lady's Fingers, a herbaceous perennial, with pinnated unequal leaves, and crowded heads of yellow (or sometimes scarlet) flowers. It grows on very dry soils, and is eaten with avidity by cattle, but does not yield much produce. A. Barba-jovis (Jupiter's Beard), from the south of Europe, is so called on account of the long, silky hairs which clothe the leaves, and conspicuous bracts that accompany the flower-heads.