N. ORD.—LEGUMINOS&. AG 
Tribe.—GENISTEA, 
GENUS.—GENISTA 3* LINN. 
SEX. SYST.—-MONADELPHIA DECANDRIA, 
GENISTA. 
DYER’S BROOM. 
SYN.—GENISTA TINCTORIA, LINN. 
COM. NAMES.—DYER’S BROOM, GREENWOOD, DYER’S GREEN-WEED, 
WOAD- OR WOOD-WAXEN, WHIN; (FR.) GENET DES TEINTUIERS; 
(GER.) FARBEGINSTER. 
A TINCTURE OF THE WHOLE FRESH PLANT: GENISTA TINCTORIA, LINN. 
Description.—This thornless, perennial, shrubby plant grows to a height of a 
foot or more. Stem erect; branches numerous, terete-angled, the younger ones 
erect. Leaves alternate, simple, lanceolate, nearly smooth, and sessile. Lnflores- 
cence a terminal spiked raceme; flowers yellow, nearly sessile, bracted. Calyx 
2-lipped, the upper 2-parted, the lower 3-toothed ; /odes 5, acute, pointed. Corolla 
perigynous, papilionaceous ; fefals 5, as follows: vextdlum or standard straight, 
‘ oblong-oval, spreading, superior to and partly enclosing the other petals; a/¢ or 
wings 2, oblique, spatulate with a straight claw, and exterior to the two lower 
petals ; carina or keel oblong, straight, deflexed, claws curved, composed of two 
connivant petals coherent by their anterior edges and enclosing the essential 
organs ; @stivation imbricate. Stamens 10, monadelphous ; f/aments inserted with 
the petals upon the base of the calyx; sheath entire; anthers of two forms, the 
alternate ones shorter. Ovary 1-celled. Pod flat, continuous, smooth. Seeds 
several ; cotyledons large, sarcous; vadicle incurved. 
Leguminosee.—This immense family of herbs, shrubs, and trees, growing in 
every part of the world, from the equator to the frigid zones, is represented in 
North America alone by 78 genera, having, in all, 791 species and 122 recognized 
varieties. The general features of this order are: Leaves alternate, usually com- 
pound, mostly entire; sé#pudes present. /Vowers papilionaceous or regular, hypo- 
gynous. Sefa/s 5, more or less combined, with the odd sepal inferior in its relation 
to the bract. éefa/s 5, the odd one superior, 2. ¢., next the axis of inflorescence. 
Stamens 5, 10, or many; //aments monadelphous, diadelphous, or in rare instances 
distinct. Pzst/ single, simple, and free; ovary solitary and simple, free from the 
calyx. Fruita legume; seeds various; a/bumen mostly wanting. 
To give the materia-medicist a better idea of phyto-grouping, I shall mention 
* Celtic gen, a small bush. 
