ABSTRACT
The genus Trigonella (Papilionaceae) contains about 130 species; most are annual herbs and only a few are perennials. The plants have trifoliate leaves with stipules. The papilionaceous flowers are arranged in inflorescences in the form of a raceme, a corymb, or spikes. In some cases single flowers appear. The corolla of the flower is yellow, white, lilac, or rarely, bluish. Nine of the stamen filaments are united to a tube and the filament of the 10th stamen is separate. 23 The fruit is a round or flat elongated pod or siliqua, with 1 or several seeds, and opens along the valves. In many plant species of this genus, the pod opens after maturation and the seeds are dispersed at this time. In T. stellata, however, the pod opens after wetting, 2 , 12 , 13 while in T. arábica an unopened pod is the dispersal unit 5 , 19 , 21 (Figure 1).
