462 



3. SPARTIUM JUNCFXTM. 



SPANISH BROOM. 



This geiuis contains plants of the deciduous and evergreen 

 kinds. 



ll 1)1 iongs to the class and order D/achlphia Decanclria and ranks 

 in ilic nali'.ral owh'V o(^ Papi/ionacect; or Lcgiimiiio.sa. 



The characters are: ihat the calyx is a one-leafed perianth, cor- 

 <I;U( -tubular: vd [\\v upjier edge very shorl, below towards the lip 

 marked wilh i'wv (oolldets, coloured, small: the corolhi papiliona- 

 c(()us, ri\c-eelled : standard obcortUite, the whole rctiexcd, very 

 large: wings ovaie, oblong, shorter than the standard, annexed to 

 ihe filaments: keel l\vo-|)(t;dle(l, lanct-olate, oblong, longer than the 

 Avings, (thecarinal margin connected by hairs,) inserted into the fila- 

 ments : the stamina have ten comiale iilauients, adhering to the 

 germ, une(|ual, gradually longer ; the uppermost very short; the 

 lower niiie-clefl : anthers oblongish : the pistillum is an oblong germ, 

 hirsute: style awl-shapcd, rising: stigma growing to the upper side 

 of the to]), ()l)long, viHose: llie pericarjjium is a cylindric legume, 

 long, obUisc, one-celled, Iwo-valved: the seeds many, globe-kidncy 

 form. 



The species cultivated are: ]. .S". scoparinin, Connnon Broom; 

 2. S. jniiccnm, Spanish Broom ; 3. S. radiutum. Starry Broom ; 4. S. 

 inouospentutiii, \Vhile-flowered Single-seeded Broom: 5. S. spharocar- 

 piini., Yellow-flowered Single-seeded Broom; (i. S. Scorphts, Scorpion 

 Broom ; 7- S. aiii^iilatmn. Angular-branched Broom; 8. S. sphiosiim 

 Hrickly Broom. 



The first grows from three to six feel high or more, very much 

 branched; the branches upright, rushy, evergreen, angular, flexible, 

 leafy, smo )th except the very young ones which are downy; the 



