320 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



cladodes, twisted below, so that the lower surface is 

 uppermost. These phylloclades are placed in the 

 axils of scaly leaves. There is another scaly leaf 

 half-way up, which bears solitary flowers in its axils. 



Being more or less a chalk plant, Butcher's Broom 

 is mainly confined to the South of England, being 

 abundant in the Isle of Wight area. It occurs south 

 of Norfolk, Leicester (if it can be regarded as any- 

 thing but a naturalised plant there and elsewhere so 

 far north) and South Wales. In the North of England, 

 in Scotland, and Ireland it is undoubtedly merely 

 naturalised. It occurs as a native species in the 

 Channel Islands. 



Woods and copses form the native habitat of the 

 plant. It occurs on chalk in Beechwoods, and in 

 chalk scrub. 



A shrub, Butcher's Broom is erect, much branched, 

 rigid, dark green. The stems are tufted, stout, woody, 

 angular, the young shoots scaly. The numerous clad- 

 odes are ovate, with a narrow prickly point, acute, 

 rigid, twisted below. 



Borne on scaly leaves on the cladodes, the flowers 

 are apparently stalkless, the stalk being attached to 

 the lower (or actual upper) surface. They are solitary, 

 rarely two, white, with a minute, membranous, one- 

 veined bracteole below, in the axil of which the 

 flower is borne. The male flowers are borne on 

 narrower cladodes. The perianth is six-partite. 

 There are three stamens. The berry is bright red or 

 yellow. 



