148 



LEGUMINOS^E. LVI. ULEX. LVII. STAURACANTHUS. LVIII. SPARTIUM. LIX. GENISTA. 



Arboreous Aspalathus. Tree. 



Cult. All the species are rather ornamental when in flower. 

 A mixture of loam, peat, and sand is the soil best adapted for 

 them, and young cuttings of all will strike in sand, under bell- 

 glasses, but the glasses must be wiped occasionally or the cuttings 

 are very liable to damp off. 



LVI. U V LEX (said to be derived from ac, a point, in Celtic, 

 in reference to the prickly branches). Lin. gen. no. 881. Lam. 

 ill. t. 621. 1). C. prod. 2. p. 144. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Decandria. Calyx bibracteate, 

 bipartite, one of the lips 3-toothed, the other bidentate. Stamens 

 all connected. Legume oval-oblong, turgid, many-ovulate, but 

 few-seeded, hardly longer than the calyx. European much- 

 branched shrubs, with the branchlets and leaves spinescent. 

 Flowers solitary, yellow. Legumes villous. 



1 U. EUROPJE us(Lin. spec. 1045. var. a.} erect ; leaves lanceo- 

 late-linear, and with the branchlets rather villous ; bracteas ovate, 

 loose; calyx pubescent, with the teeth nearly obsolete and con- 

 verging. (7 . H. Native of commons, heaths, and waste places 

 throughout Europe. Smith, engl. bot. t. 742. U. grandiflorus, 

 Pourr. U. vernalis, There. 



Provence appears to be the boundary, south, of furze ; north- 

 wards it does not grow in Sweden or Russia. Linnaeus lamented 

 that he could hardly preserve it alive in a greenhouse. Many 

 parts of Germany are perfectly destitute of this plant. The 

 furze is either called whins or gorse in England. In France it 

 is called ajonc or jonc-marin, contracted tojomarin. 



Some years ago the seeds of furze were sown for hedges, and 

 if the soil was light it soon became strong enough for a fence 

 against cattle, but in a few years these hedges become naked. 

 Duhamel speaks much in favour of furze as fodder for cattle. 

 It has also been used for fodder in Scotland. Team horses may 

 be supported by this shrub, if the tops are cut young and bruised 

 in a mill to break the thorns. Goats, kine, sheep, and horses 

 feed upon the tender tops. In some parts of Britain it is culti- 

 vated for fuel, where peat or coals are dear. 



far. ft, Jlbre-pleno ; flowers double. This is a very showy 



plant when in flower, being profusely clothed with elegant double 



yellow flowers. It is well adapted for ornamenting shrubberies. 



European or Common Furze or Whin. Fl. Feb. Jan. Britain. 



Shrub 3 to C feet. 



2 U. NA'NUS (Smith, fl. brit. 757. engl. bot. t. 743.) decum- 

 bent ; leaves linear, and are as well as the branches smooth ; 

 bracteas minute, adpressed ; calyx glabrous, with spreading, 

 lanceolate teeth. Jj . H. Native of England on heaths, and in 

 the western parts of France. U. minor, Roth. cat. 1. p. 83. 

 U. Europe 1 us /3, Lin. spec. 1045. U. autumnalis, Thore. 



Dwarf Furze. Fl. Aug. Dec. Britain. Shrub decumbent. 



3 U. i-RoviNciA 1 us (Lois. not. 105. t. C. f. 2.) erect; leaves 

 lanceolate, linear, and are as well as the branches glabrous ; 

 bracteas minute, adpressed ; calyx rather pubescent, with lan- 

 ceolate distant teeth, hardly exceeding the corolla. Ij . H. 

 Native of Provence, Andegavany, and Mauritania. D. C. fl. 

 franc, suppl. no. 3799. The characters of this species, as well 

 as the size, are intermediate between the two preceding. 



Provincial Furze. Fl. Aug. Dec. Clt. 1820. Sh. 2 to 4 ft. 



4 U. HIBE'RNICA (G. Don, in Loud. hort. brit. p. 280.) erect; 

 leaves linear, ciliated ; spines branched, pubescent as well as 

 the branches, both furrowed. fj . H. Native of Ireland. H. 

 stricta, Hortul. This is a very upright plant, the spines more 

 mild than in the other species. It is an excellent plant for form- 

 ing hedges. 



Irish Furze. Fl. July, Aug. Ireland. Shrub 6 to 1 feet. 

 Cult. This, although a very elegant genus of plants, is seldom 

 cultivated unless for hedges, except the double variety of U. 



Europccus, which is a very elegant plant when in bloom, and is 

 increased by young cuttings, planted under a hand-glass. The 

 rest are usually increased by seeds. 



LVII. STAURACA'NTHUS (from aravpoc, statiros, a cross, 

 and aKayOa, akantha, a spine ; in reference to the spines each 

 having 2 small spines at the side, giving the appearance of a 

 cross). Link, in Schrad. neue journ. 2. p. 1. and 52. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Decandria. Calyx bipartite ; upper 

 lip bifid, lower one tridentate. Stamens all connected. Legume 

 compressed, many-seeded, exserted, a long way beyond the 

 calyx. A leafless shrub, with the habit of U^lcx, and from it 

 not probably distinct. 



1 S. APHY'LLUS (Link. 1. c.). Tj . H. Native of Portugal in 

 sandy pine woods. LTlex genistoides, Brot. fl. lus. 2. p. 78. 

 Bracteoles small, under the calyx. Branches divaricate. Le- 

 gume quite smooth. 



Leafless Stauracanthus. Fl. May, June. Clt. 1823. Shrub 

 2 to 3 feet. 



Cult. This is a very elegant plant when in flower, and well 

 fitted for the front of shrubberies. It maybe either increased 

 by young cuttings planted in sand under a hand-glass, or by 

 seeds. 



LVIII. SPA'RTIUM (from awaprov, spartan, cordage ; use 

 of plant in early ages). D. C. leg. mem. v. prod. 2. p. 145. 

 Spartianthus, Link. enum. 2. p. 223. Genista, spec. Lam. 

 Moench. Spartium, spec. Lin. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Decandria. Calyx membranous, 

 spathaceous, cleft above, 5-toothed at the apex, somewhat bila- 

 biate. Corolla with a roundish, complicated vcxillum, and an 

 acuminated keel, and the petals a little agglutinated, but part- 

 able. Stamens monadelphous. Legume compressed, many- 

 seeded, glandless. A smooth shrub, with twiggy terete branches, 

 and a few lanceolate leaves. Flowers large, distant, yellow, 

 disposed in terminal racemes. 



1 S. JU'NCEUM (Lin. spec. 995.). Jj . H. Native of the 

 South of Europe, in rugged dry places. Duham. arbr. ed. nov. 

 2. t. 22. Sims, bot. mag. 85. Genista juncea, Lam. G. odorata, 

 Moench. Spartianthus junceus, Link. Flowers sweet-scented ; 

 sometimes the plant is to be found with double flowers in gar- 

 dens. Bees are very fond of the flowers, and the same qualities 

 which are attributed to the common broom belong also to this, 

 although in an inferior degree. In Languedoc they make thread 

 of it, and it is there used as a green food for sheep. 



Rush or Spanish Broom. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1548. Shrub 

 6 to 10 feet. 



Cult. Spanish Broom is a very ornamental plant when in 

 bloom, and therefore well fitted for shrubberies. It is usually 

 increased by seeds, which ripen in abundance ; young cuttings 

 will root if planted under a hand-glass. 



LIX. GENI'STA (from gen, Celtic, signifying a small bush). 

 Lam. diet. 2. p. 616. ill. t. 619. D. C. leg. mem. VI. prod. 2. 

 p. 145.). Genista et Spartium, spec. Lin. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Decandria. Calyx bilabiate, upper 

 lip bipartite, lower one tridentate, or 5-lobed, the 3 lower lobes 

 nearly joined to the apex. Vexillum oblong-oval (f. 29. a.). 

 Carina oblong, straight (f. 29. 6.), not always containing the geni- 

 tals. Stamens monadelphous (f. 29. c.). Legume compressed, 

 rarely rather turgid (f. 29. rf.), many-seeded, rarely few-seeded, 

 glandless. Shrubs with yellow flowers. 



* Unarmed. Leaves all, or for the most part, trifoliate. 



1 G. PARVIFLO'RA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 145.) leaves trifoliate, on 

 very short petioles ; leaflets linear -lanceolate, glabrous, usually 



