262 DIADELPHIA— DECANDRIA. Genista. 



Shrubs of humble growth ; sometimes armed with strong, 

 simple or compound, thorns; branches in some winged. 

 Leaves alternate, simple, entire. Fl. small, yellow, axil- 

 lary, solitary. The supposed species with ternate leaves 

 appear to me doubtful as to their genuSt We have none 

 of them in Britain. 



1. G. tinctoria. Dyer's Green-weed. Wood-waxen. 



Leaves lanceolate, smooth. Branches round, striated, erect, 

 without thorns. 



G. tinctoria. Linn. Sp. PI. 998. Willd. v. 3. 939. FL Br. 754. 

 Etigl. Bot.v. 1. 1. 44. Hook. Scot. 2\ I. Fl. Da7i. t. 526. Dod. 



• Pempt.7G3.f. Ehrh.Arh.27. 



G. n. 350. Hall. Hist. v. 1 . 152, 



Genistella. Riv. Tetrap. Irr. t. 67./. 1. 



G. tinctoria. Raii Syn. 474. Ger. Em. 1316./. 



G. infectoria vulgi. Lob. Ic. v. 2. 89./. 



Tinctorius flos. Ftichs. Hist. SOS. f. Ic.467.f. Dalech. Hist. 

 175. f. Bauh. Hist. v. I. p. 2. 39 1 ./. 



In pastures, thickets, and the dry borders of fields. 



Shrub. July, August. 



Root woody, creeping widely. Stems depressed, with numerous 

 ascending, rarely recumbent, straight, furrowed, leafy, smooth 

 branches. Leaves scattered, nearly sessile, elliptic-lanceolate, 

 convex, of a deep shining green, a little hairy at the edges and 

 midrib, at least while young. Fl. on short axillary stalks, 

 crowded about the summits of the branches, with a pair of small 

 awl-shaped bracteas a little below the base of the deeply cut, 

 smooth, angular calyx. Pet. of a uniform bright yellow. Odd 

 stamen very deeply separated. Legume nearly cylindrical, with 

 numerous seeds. 



The whole plant affords the dyer a good yellow colour, and with 

 Woad a good green. Ray says the milk of cows feeding upon 

 it is rendered bitter, which flavour is communicated to butter 

 and cheese. 



2. G. pilosa. Hairy Green-weed. 



Leaves obovate-lanceolate, obtuse; hairy beneath. 'Stem 



tuberculated, prostrate, without thorns. Calyx and 



flower-stalks silky. 

 G. pilosa. Linn. Sp. PZ. 999. Willd. v. 3.04). Fl.Br.755. Engl. 



Bot. V. 3. t. 208. RoseElem. append. 452. t.3. Dicks. H. Sice. 



fasc.\6.\6. Jacq. Austr. t. 208. Fl. Dan. t. 1225 ; too upright, 



Ehrh. Arb. 66. 

 G. n. 35 1 . Hull. Hist. v. 1 . 153. 

 G. minima. Dalech. Hist, \73.f. 



