A VERY INTELLIGENT PLANT 



269 



could take a casual bite at it. The gorse was, 



therefore, driven perforce into producing thorny 



branches which would repel its foes, while the 



genista retained the old soft silky shoots and 



broad trefoil foliage. 



Broom, which is a close 



relation of both these 



plants, with much the 



same yellow peaflowers 



and hairy pods, occu- 



pies to some extent an 



intermediate position 



between the two types. 



The young shoots have 



leaves of three leaflets, 



as shown in No. 6 ; but 



the older branches are 



covered with leaves of 



a single leaflet apiece, 



like the second form 



produced by the gorse 



plant. The trefoil leaves 



of the broom also 



closely resemble those 



of the laburnum, which 



is another and more 



tree-like descendant of 



the same ancient an- 



cestor, with similar yellow blossoms, and pods and 



beans of much the same character. It is interest- 



ing to observe in a family of this sort how the 



young seedlings are in every case almost identical, 



NO. 6. ITS SECOND COUSIN, 

 THE BROOM. 



