THE CORSE AND THE BROOM 



1113 



in bloom, points to the fact that 

 some flowers of Gorse may be 

 found in nearly every month of 

 the year. Yet tliis is based on 

 somewhat of a misconcejjtion. 

 The Common Gorse may come into 

 flower in Xovcmber, showing odd 

 s])ikes of bloom all the winter 

 through, but the lull blossoming 

 time is in February or March 

 onwards to the end of May or 

 early in June. 



During the following months 

 all the brilhance of the Gorse is 

 absent, only the fresh green of 

 the new growing shoots changing 

 gradually into the sombre tint 



SEED PODS OF COMMON GORSE. 



organs. There are ten 

 stamens and a single pistil. 



THE GORSE 



Other common names are 

 Furze and Whin. We have 

 two varieties — a larger, the 

 Common Gorse, which may 

 grow to a height of eight 

 or ten feet, and the Dwarf 

 Gorse, rarely exceeding two 

 feet. There is also a small 

 allied plant commonly 

 known as the Petty Whin, 

 which, however, is not a 

 Gorse but a Genista. This, 

 at first glance, is so like the 

 Dwarf Gorse that some de- 

 scription of it will be given 

 and points of distinction 

 noted. 



The sentiment that kissing 

 is in season during all those 

 months when the Gorse is 



141 



%L^'^'' 



PETTY WHIN, SHOWING FLOW IKS, I'OU.-^ LEAVES 

 AND THOKNS. 



