CYTISUS 



CYTISUS 



947 



blooming most in early spring and summer. Nearly 

 hardy North are C. hirsutus, C. supinus, C. scoparius, 

 C. nigricans, C. leucanthus, while the evergreen species 

 C. canariensis, C. monspessulanus, C. filipes are hardy 

 only South. Most of the species are well adapted for 

 borders of shrubberies, and thrive in almost any well- 

 drained soil and in sunny position; they naturalize 

 themselves often very quickly in dry, gravelly soil, 

 where few other plants will grow; C. scoparius especially 

 does so. The cytisus ought to be transplanted care- 

 fully and when young, as they do not bear transplant- 

 ing well as older plants. Some dwarf species, like C. 

 Ardoinii, C. kewensis, C. emeriflorus, C. purpureus and 

 C. leucanthus are very handsome for rockeries. The 

 evergreen C. canariensis and C. racemosus are much 

 grown in the North as greenhouse shrubs, blooming 

 profusely in early spring; also the white C. multiflorus 

 and C. filipes make handsome pot-plants, and may 

 be had in bloom in February with gentle forcing. 

 For pot-plants, a light sandy loam with peat added 

 forms a suitable compost. After flowering the plants 

 should be cut back and repotted as soon as they start 

 into new growth. After repotting, they are kept close 

 and often syringed until they are established ; then they 

 ought to have plenty of air and only slight shade. When 

 the new growth has been finished they may be put in 

 the open air until frost is threatening. During the win- 

 ter they should be kept in a cool greenhouse with plenty 

 of light and carefully and moderately watered. From 

 January they may be transferred gradually in a warmer 

 house for forcing. Cuttings started in early spring, 

 transplanted several times and then gradually hardened 

 off, can be grown into flowering specimens for the fol- 

 lowing spring. Propagated by seeds sown in spring 

 and by greenwood cuttings under glass; they are also 

 sometimes increased by layers or by grafting. As stock 

 C. nigricans is much used, or Laburnum vulgare for 

 small standard trees; for plants grown in the greenhouse 

 or South, C. canariensis is a good stock. 



Of cytisus, the young growths root readily in Decem- 

 ber and January in the ordinary way. They should be 

 shifted on as they grow. Good-sized plants can be pro- 

 duced if shifting and pinching is not neglected. By the 

 following winter, the winter-propagated plants should 

 be in 5-inch pots, in which size they are most useful. 

 Keep very cool during winter, and withhold any for- 

 cing. They flower in March, or, if kept at a night tem- 

 perature of 45, as late as April. Syringe at all times to 

 prevent red spider. To produce good-sized plants in one 

 year, it is best to keep them plunged on a bench under 

 the glass the entire summer, with little shade. Older 

 plants can be plunged out-of-doors during July, August 

 and September. (William Scott.) 



A. Calyx tubular, much longer than wide: Ivs. always 



8-foliolate: branches terete. (Tubocytisus.) 

 B. Fls. in terminal heads with bracts at the base, yellow 



to white. 



1. supinus, Linn. (C. capitatus, Scop.). Shrub 

 to 3 ft., with erect, or sometimes decumbent, villous 

 branches: Ifts. obovate or oblong-obovate, sparingly 

 appressed pubescent above, villous pubescent beneath, 



%-l in. long: fls. yellow, brownish when fading, nearly 

 1 in. long; standard pubescent outside or nearly gla- 

 brous: pod villous, 1-1 H in. long. July, Aug. Cent. 

 andS. Eu. L.B.C. 5:497. J.H.III. 31:161 (as Genista). 



2. leucanthus, Waldst. & Kit. (C. albus, Hacq.). 

 Upright shrub, to 3 ft., with villous branches: Ifts. 3, 

 oblong-obovate, obtuse or acutish, appressed pubescent, 

 sometimes glabrous above, ciliate, H~%in. long: fls. 

 3-6, yellowish white; calyx appressed-villous; standard 

 pubescent outside: pod about 1 in. long, appressed 

 pubescent. June, July. S. E. Eu. Var. pallidus, 

 Schrad. (C. pallidus, Kerner). Fls. pale yellow. Var. 

 schipkaensis, Dipp. Low shrub, about 1 ft. high: 

 fls. white. Bulgaria. The oldest name for this species 

 is C. albus, but as the same combination has been used 

 by many writers for C. multiflorus, the name C. leucan- 

 thus is here used to avoid possible confusion. 



BB. Fls. axillary, distributed along the branches. 

 c. Color of fls. yellow. 



3. hirsutus, Linn. (C. elongatus, Hort., not Waldst. & 

 Kit. C. polytrichus, Bieb. C. ruthenicus, Hort., not 

 Fisch.). Shrub, to 3 ft., with erect or procumbent, 

 villous, terete branches: Ifts. obovate or obovate-ob- 

 long, villous pubescent beneath, 3/-%in. long: fls. 



1201. Cytisus canariensis. 



2-3, short-petioled; calyx villous pubescent; standard 

 glabrous on back: pod 1 in. long, villous. May, June. 

 Cent, and S. Eu. Orient. B.M. 6819 (Ifts. erroneously 

 shown as serrate). L.B.C. 6:520 (as C. falcatus). 

 B.R. 14:1191 (as C. multiflorus). 



cc. Color of fls. white or purple. 



4. proliferus, Linn. Shrub, to 12 ft., with long and 

 slender pubescent branches: Ifts. oblanceolate, silky 

 pubescent beneath, green and sparsely pubescent above, 

 1-1% in. long: fls. white, 3-8; pedicels rather long, 

 tpmentose; calyx tomentose; standard pubescent out- 

 side: pod densely tomentose- villous, 1^-2 in. long. 

 May, June. Canary Isls. B.R. 2:121. L.B.C. 8:761. 

 G. 32:291. Recommended as a fodder plant for Calif. 



5. purpureus, Scop. Procumbent or erect shrub, to 

 2 ft., quite glabrous: Ivs. rather long-petioled ; Ifts. oval 

 or obovate, dark green above, J4-1 in. long: fls. 1-3, 

 purple; calyx reddish: pod black, 1-1 ^ in. long. May, 

 June. S. Austria, N. Italy. B.M. 1176. L.B.C. 

 9:892. G.C. III. 36:217; 50:163. Gn. 21, p. 421. 

 J.H.III. 49:399. Var. albus, Kirchn. Fls. white. 

 G. 6:433. Var. albo-carneus, Kirchn. (var. cdrneus, 

 Hort.). Fls. light pink. Var. atropurpureus, Dipp. 

 Fls. dark purple. Var. elongatus, Andre" (var. pendulus, 

 Dipp.), with slender, pendulous branches and purple 

 fls., is sometimes grafted high on Laburnum. There 

 exists an interesting graft hybrid of this species and 

 Laburnum vulgare, for which see Laburnum Adamii. 



AA. Calyx campanulate, as long or only slightly longer 

 than wide: branches grooved or angled. 



B. Fls. axillary along the branches. 



c. Lvs. simple: fls. yellow: procumbent shrubs. (Coro- 



thamnus.) 



6. decumbens, Spach. Prostrate shrub, 4-8 in. high: 

 branchlets 5-angled, glabrescent: Ivs. oblong-obovate, 



