CYTISUS 



463 



glowing yellow, I in. long, produced singly or in pairs from the joints of the 

 year-old shoots in May ; standard petal round, f in. across ; calyx smooth. 

 Pod i^ to 2 ins. long, hairy, especially on the margins. 



Native of W. Europe, and the only Cytisus native of the British Isles, over 

 which it is widely spread. 



Var. ANDREANUS, Dippel. Similar to the type in habit, foliage, and shape of 

 flower, but with the wing-petals of a rich brownish crimson, and the standard 

 petal, though mainly yellow, stained and lined with the same colour. This 

 beautiful and striking variety was discovered by the late Mr Edouard Andre 

 growing wild in Normandy, about 1884. It succeeds best grafted on Laburnum. 

 It comes only partly true from seed, many of its progeny having flowers very 

 poorly coloured as compared with the parent ; but some distinct and improved 

 forms have been obtained, especially by Mr T. Smith of Newry ; one of the 

 best he has named " Firefly," more highly coloured than Andreanus itself. 



Var. FLORE PLENO. Flowers 

 double. 



Var. FOLIIS VARIEGATIS. 

 Leaves variegated with white, the 

 whole plant having a not unpleasing 

 grey effect. 



Var. PENUULUS (C. grandiflorus 

 of nurseries). This variety is not 

 only distinct because of its low pros- 

 trate habit (pendulous only when 

 grafted on standards of Laburnum), 

 it is particularly showy, because of 

 the large size of its flowers. 



Var. SULPHUREUS. Moonlight 

 Broom. A dwarfer, flatter-growing, 

 more compact shrub than the type, 

 with pretty pale sulphur - yellow 

 flowers. 



Whilst the ordinary broom, in 

 spite of its great beauty, may be 

 considered too common a shrub to 

 deserve a place in the garden 

 proper, it is admirable for semi- 

 wild spots, dry banks, and such-like 

 places. All the varieties are worth 

 growing, especially Andreanus, 

 pendulus, and sulphureus. The 

 common broom is best propagated CYTISUS SESSILIFOLIUS. 



by seed ; but seed is too uncertain 



to be employed for the varieties. Perhaps the best way to increase them is to 

 graft them low on seedlings or on roots of either of the common Laburnums. 

 This should be done in spring, using sprays with wood two seasons old. Cuttings 

 of the current season's wood put under cloches in August take root fairly well, 

 but plants so raised are apt to die off suddenly when a year or two old through 

 decay at what was the base of the cutting, due to the callus not completely 

 covering the pithy part of the base. Young brooms, however raised, should be 

 cropped over several times when young, to induce a bushy form. 



C. SESSILIFOLIUS, Linnczus. 

 (Bot. Mag., t. 255.) 



A deciduous, bushy shrub, 5 or 6 ft. high, -with ribbed, not downy branchlets. 

 Leaves smooth, trifoliolate, usually without stalks on the short flowering shoots, 



