156 



BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS 



springs back (Fig. 103), and the pollen is ejected in a 

 shower. It appears that the flowers do not open of 

 themselves if insects are prevented from visiting them. 

 The plant is sometimes- glabrous, sometimes with 

 scattered hairs. The pods are always glabrous, except in 

 the variety humifusa, found only in the Lizard district 

 and at St. David's Head, Pembroke. 



G. anglica. — The arrangement in this species and in 

 G. pilosa resembles that of O. tinctoria, but when open 

 the flowers do not gape so widely. The lower branches 

 are converted into short thorns. There are two forms 

 of leaves. Those of the sterile branches are linear or 

 narrow lanceolate ; those of the flowering branches 

 obovate and very obtuse. The plant is quite glabrous. 



G. pilosa, a prostrate plant found on gravelly heaths 

 in the southern portion of England, but rare, is, as the 

 name implies, hairy. 



Ulex (Furze or Gorse) 



Of this genus we have two species : U. europceus, 

 our common Gorse, with hairy sepals 

 and bracts about half a line long ; 

 and the Dwarf Furze, U. nanus, 

 with nearly glabrous sepals and 

 scarcely perceptible bracts. The 

 arrangement of the flowers is on 

 the same plan as in Genista. In 

 the mature plant the leaves are 

 reduced to spines, but if we ex- 

 amine a seedling (Fig. 104) we shall 

 find that the cotyledons are suc- 

 ceeded by several trifoliate leaves, 

 with ovate leaflets. These gradu- 

 ally become narrower, more pointed, 

 and stiffer, thus passing into spines. 



Fig. 104.— Farze Seedling. Hcuce we cau hardly doubt that the 

 present Furze is descended from 



ancestors with trifoliate leaves.^ 



' Avebury (Lubbock), Flowers, Fruits, and Leaves. 



